It’s a five-day stage race around one of the smallest countries on the planet small in size but packing quite the punch in terms of varied hilly terrain for bike racing hello and a very warm welcome to the skoda tour of Luxembourg it’s a beautiful start to the race
Sunshine out and these are the Riders who have topped the time sheets in the last few years defending Champion Matthias skelmauser is not here he’s recently been actioned over in Canada this is the lineup for the week and it’s a really difficult course only one stage really for the sprinters today up and
Down 156.4 kilometers from the capital back to the capital and up and down plenty of hills let’s have a look then 150 for this to start off two and a half thousand meters meters climbing going north and it’s around a third of the way through the route but the hills really begin
Full categorized climbs today two of them all category but it’s the final climb inside the last 10 kilometers cooked the star filter back on the way into town that will provide the biggest test it’s an uphill finish too let’s not forget on the kill spec today’s profile looks like this on the
Shorter tour of Luxembourg and there are 20 top teams fighting it out for Glory a beautiful day today 22 degrees not too much wind about and this is the first sight of the bulletin climbing the brush side well well into the last 80 kilometers now but this is how it started a little
Monster Abbey all of the big stars were ready to sign in and please the crowds that included the winner of this stage last year Valentine was back for his final stage race as well and Local Hero Bob youngles the man of Luxembourg cycling in the last decade
With Andy Schleck Tour de France winner and one of the greatest luxemburger athletes of all time the race director and ready to set things in motion as brother Frank was the last Luxembourg winner of this race has been no National winner here for over a decade when the flag was raised and
Everything began this was the scene it wasn’t a big fight for the Breakaway today full Riders were able to get up there more or less straight away the action was started by Vito brat he was joined by Max ventil and Oliver Newson Leonard turgles was there as well
The Nintendo sin been dropped and there are now three Riders at the front of the race 80 kilometers to go turtles brat and wencel and the Gap now having gone from six minutes to now three and a half minutes at stage one of the skoda tour of
Luxembourg Man in the Yellow on the left-hand side of your screen is the man who’s the oldest or most experienced in the Breakaway he’s no professional wins but his name is Leonard turkles he’s a Belgian Rider and try to keep this going today alongside him wearing 196. it’s
One of the Riders from the third division of pro cycling he’s one of the youngest riders in the race from the leopard development team 20 years of age local Rider Max venzel and at the back here wearing 153 a man who’s on his way to the world tour in just a couple of
Months time he currently rides to fland of balwaz of Belgium he was the first attacker here he’s off to Anto Marche over the winter and he is 22 year old Vito brat trying to keep things going one of the couple of belgians hit original break had four Riders from
Three teams two belgians a Dane and a luxemberger all of the four Riders who’ve gotten the earlier break on debut in this race we’ve seen Israel Premier Tech trying the best to control they’ve been helped today by UA Emirates movie star borahan scrub Obama if there she have contributed it time to swap
And this is the current scene descending into the start of the next climb the broadside a second of four categorized climbs today absolutely Sensational isn’t it through the many wooded areas of what is a small beautiful country started out the Cosmopolitan Capital City today that’s where we’ll finish as well but
Into the woods up towards the Ardent and the border with Belgium not too far from the German border as well today in the state that is nestled between several of Europe’s bigger States France to the West as well this is the court that bought shot that’s almost three and a half
Kilometers long it is the longest of the climbs on the route today for each gradient of 7.3 maximum almost at double digits there it’s a really tough test and as in all category climb there’s a lot of points available in the king of the mountains competition
Chance to look around at a few Chateau as well today one of the final stage races of the Season isn’t it this will have the tour of guangxi the final wall to estate race live for you and On Demand on Discovery plus and gcn plus but here this is the second division
Race the pro tour race from Luxembourg and you’re looking at borscheid Castle parts of it beautifully preserved other parts left in Ruins it’s quite the mix isn’t it sunny day like today race passing bike the view is quite stunning from up here it’s almost 500 meters above sea level
Doesn’t let anybody tell you that Luxembourg is flat a small country but there’s plenty of ups and downs and as well as these short sharp climbs plenty of Rapid descents as well that are going to be a feature of this race throughout the week oh with a gap at three and a half
Minutes the way this race is going to run is that we should expect the longest stage tomorrow to be won for the sprinters the Queen’s stage is detailed by Andy Schleck the race director on Wednesday and that’s going to finish another Castle but the unden castle Bridge gradient
Of the main climb on that stage to be climbed three times is 18 I think it’s pretty much safe to say that it’s going to be one for the climates we’ll have a time trial on Saturday that is a pitolsh it’s under 25 kilometers as well and then the final stage back to
Luxembourg the final showdown on the popular bag a finish near the city center on stage five in terms of how this works we’ve got 20 teams here of six Riders and as you can see some of the biggest teams in the world it’s movie star who are racing here they brought Alex
Of will barter and Mattel Jorgensen who’s departing the team remember she could be Amanda watching the overall depending on his time trial performance as well you could say that Gregor mulberger is in that category of the Austrian champion Israel Premier attacker giving them a hand at one of the second division teams
Here and well it’s a wonderfully strong lineup for them I think quite a few World Tour teams would be jealous of the lineup with full sung all nerlon’s strong turns and woods all winners on any given day it’s possibly the strongest lineup I’ve seen at this race for quite a number of
Years certainly since this date change those of you may be new to this sport this is an event that was born in the 1930s 1935 in fact was the first edition used to take place in June until a post covert date change now of course where we are now the end
Of summer beginning of autumn in September so rebooted and reinvigorated race that now and in the future is going to come either before or after the world championships in this case a little later as you see the line of Luxembourg on your picture and I’m not talking about a Rider’s
Nickname that’s uh the grand duchy’s flag a kilometer to the top of this climate [Applause] try and learn as much as we can about the grand duchy of Luxembourg throughout the week it’s a multilingual state purely away but making sure that all of its inhabitants speak all of its languages
That’s to do with the way that Education Works and which language is used where and they also have their own language luxembourgish German French and English of course in business very much well spoken it’s also a state that has quite the history with cycling Tour de France winners all right so Charlie Gaul
There’s exploits in all different types and all different races the select Brothers young almost their most recent Monument winner as well who’s here again for a small nation Luxembourg is a place that really does punch above its weight as one of the team cars up ahead Tudor Pro cycling they’re one of the
Invited teams here the second division teams led by pingol they’re at the break in the yellow Jersey as of Flanders balwaz from Over the Border in Belgium Israel Premier technically seen Lotto Destiny here as our Tudor Pro cycling that we mentioned in Uno X and the two third division teams one represented on
The left-hand side that’s Leo Park and Global six is another and I’m afraid they’ve only come with four of their six allotted Riders quite sure what the story is behind that but all the best to them it’s gonna be a difficult week and they didn’t manage to make the Breakaway today
They do have one of the promising Young luxemberger Riders In Tom victorton I should say part of me was his brother Luke is part of this race as well Racing for Tudor here we go then coming to the top of the climb it’s a look around there from the rider from Bengal
Waloni quicksell that’s landed Turtles and the Sprinter about to be launched KO end point here going through the gears rather than the motions [Applause] Still of course who’s still at the front for now coming around though is much ventil but through the center here with plenty of power as Brad he’ll take second place and that’s a brilliantly one Kom by matzvenzo 77ks to go and he cooked the ball shy climbed maximum points and a lead in the king of the mountains classification for now or 20 year old Matt’s wencil fourth youngest rider in the race was a luxemburger certainly have the local parkour knowledge not that but too much
It’s away from Belgium for anybody who wants to do a Recon the other two riders in the Breakaway of course from the neighboring country it’s lunchtime in the Peloton in the meantime and this is Chris nailon’s at the front former national champion of Latvia on the attack almost
Without cessation without stop at the Tour de France either skelling through the center in the green he’ll be changing teams over the winter UA Emirates of course picking up some very big results recently fantastic winning Montreal with Adam Yates of course several of the Riders who participated in that successor here
Being one of them let me see former winner of this race remember the young young Crystal gnome FedEx cross shutner as well find form and then this is the replay of that King of the mountains point I nicely won to try and keep this Gap three points for my defensive two for Victor
And leather Turtles take into one and A View From up on high is a nice one bit of a false slack towards the top here the scent won’t take long in commencing see if they do descend it’s very quickly uphill again in the court the eschdorf
It’s a shorter climb but a steeple one all category climb as well and the pelotoner now over the top as well I’m Rob hatch by the way for those of you just joining many of you be expecting to hear Brian Smith he will be joining us as soon as possible
Maybe with us all week long here anything you miss a reminder that you can catch up on gcn plus and Discovery plus we’ve also got the European championships on at the moment and we’ll be building up to the final Monument of the season the Giro di Lombardi over the next couple of weeks
And the last World Tour stay Trace that will be coming up next month the restarted tour of guangxi in China doors open there for Jonas Hood and this is mountas Court now of EF education easy post but not for much longer it’s on his way to join one of the up-and-coming teams from
Scandinavia Uno X team consisting entirely of writers from both Norway and Denmark or coming from the latter of those two countries 74 kilometers to go on the opening day in Luxembourg Chris nail onto the front and joining me in the commentary box it’s a very good afternoon to Brian Smith good afternoon Rob I hope you can hear me loud and clear um it’s just one of these situations where we changed our
Stump and um apparently a letter in my email address was I had more more letters in my name let’s put it this way so I’m here and that’s all that counts you’ve not missed a thing yet Brian we’ve got three and a half minutes with three Riders still out there I can tell
You that much venzel just won the king of the mountains prize at the top of the bullshite everybody just done this false flat here Brian I’ve just been reminding the viewers that Luxembourg is anything but a flat country of course there are no great mountains here but we’ve got
Plenty of climbs up to around 500 meters above sea level here we’re gonna dive down very quickly and be climbing again up to cook the ishtof you might find it’s a funny mix of languages this week we’ve got French we’ve got German luxembourgish as well and the Peloton here they’ve got this in
Hand today haven’t they for now Brian you’d say by the looks of things yes it’s always in the first stage of an event it’s who’s going to control things and and you know every event starts differently and this is only kind of short um yeah quite recently I’ve done a lot
Of different events to the Britain tour of Denmark uh renewy tour and things of that and it’s always a case of what does the the first stage consist often it’s got hella down um you know it’s the the route for stage one so you know we’ve got a few claims
To come and we’ve got to climb just about you know first category climb with nine kilometers to go I think it will be a pretty much short and steep climb but you know Riders were always getting a breakaway it’s very difficult for a lot
Of the kind of top 10 stem for treat the Breakaway in the first stage because they just kind of cancel each other out um but we do have some good Riders here we had four as Rob’s already mentioned down to three and you know the pushing
On still a long way to go 73 kilometers but three and a half minutes advantage and you know most most of the writers that get in there the first day Breakaway are hoping for two things one that made the possibility of staying away you know know who’s going to chase
And that kind of stalemate behind it really happens in races but it happens from time to time but then again there’s the the intermediate competition getting in a breakaway here taking taking the mountains points taking Sprints and things like that no when you get one or two three days into
An event and you’ve got some some good points other Riders could have switched off and look at other competitions rather than maybe States places rather than try and get these competition jerseys but as we can see from the front of the Peloton it’s quite interesting to
See the teams that are here and willing to ride at the fronts I think one of the teams just noticed there was that the team of a movie star with um I think looking at potentially a kind of overall Mill Burger seems to be a rider there
But um I think in this sort of finish in this kind of hard climb possibly Alex burritt Edinburgh after um good showing and um you know Quebec um just just not that long ago so I think that’s the reason why they’re riding it’s also a quandary to to why teams right on the
Front you know most teams ride on the front to get nothing out of it but I think they’ve got a good shout in aramburu like there’s some fantastic Riders here I was just looking down I think this is the best start this Brian since this race moved from a summer race
To an Autumn race or end of summer race let’s say let’s be optimistic about things it’s nice whether it’s 22 degrees isn’t it um which was what three years ago just after the covert pandemic yeah I was looking at that Rob and I was you know
When I when I printed the start list off but you know I looked at some of the riders that are here and you know it’s good and you know normally like you say it clashes with other events it’s gone from in my games in a four days like you said
It wasn’t always the best Fields um beautiful part of the world’s I’ve raced there I haven’t raised a tour of Luxembourg but I have raced around here and like you say it’s pretty heavy country it’s up and down and you know I think the um the race organizer
Um has got a nice root this year um Andy slick is the I think the chair of this this event and it puts on a good race and I know that the the European championships at the moment so there’s always going to be that kind of clash
And and of course at this time of year and at any time of the year I think apart from maybe July and and if you want to compete with the Tour de France then good luck but it’s just a park calendar and you know what attracts you to these races and I
Think that the root of this race because we’ve got races happening all the time we’ve got races and in France um Belgium and Italy at the moment it’s it’s kind of cramped so where where do you fit this racing well this stage last year was won by Valentine madwest Brian
Are not riding at the minute despite the fact that they have a wonderfully strong race line up on paper at least himself exciting young talent pivy and the Pinot farewell to her is here as well accompanying local Luxembourg Junior’s on home roads you mentioned marvi smile were riding
The other team that arriving a second division team though Brian with very much a premier league lineup Israel Premier Tech which of the six strong Riders are they riding for here well that’s a good question um you know they have got multiple options uh with think because you know recently
I was covered in November was raid in particularly well and Corbin strong finished well in Quebec in Canada to go on to go up there on the podium make the woods coming to farm slowly but surely I would think they’ve got multiple options Dylan Jones I I don’t know what
He’s done over the like you know last year races so I’m a bit indecisive about him but I think wood slowly but surely coming too far but I would think I think this could be getting over this climb um good finish at the end I could I
Think this could be a carbon strong day uh if I’m going for aramburu for movistar Corbin strong could be a good bet for this this first stage kiwi rider for Israel Premier Tech I think we can be sure of one thing one of the men they’re not riding for today
Is Chris Nelons because he’s been on the front doing quite a bit of work two minutes 22. Australian followers and just under 70 kilometers to go as we see a few of the Azure design Riders move up on the left now talking overall they’re one of the strongest squads
On the whole start sheet four out of there six Riders a grand to a stage winners and talking of strong squads the man you saw on the left-hand side there just move up Julio Anna Felipe is here as well and well if there was ever a stage race the short ponchi
Climbs that would suit this man on form it would be this question is how on form is he he was very close wasn’t he was fighting in Canada um you know this is his first race after that and you know you know you all day long this type of furniture quite a hard
Claim before the end and he can Sprint well um you know he can Sprint well from small groups he can win alone he’s such a versatile Rider he’s even won Sprints in the past and you would think that you know he would be another so many
Riders here I even think that um you know X you know the tabash Johannes and a very strong Rider can Sprint a little bit at the end as well so this I think you’ve mentioned it all a really really good field here with so many different options and you know I’m really looking
Forward to this one because I think Rob this comes down to kind of motivation as well it’s getting to that part of the Year September if you get a contract next year yep if you haven’t then you’ll be racing hard um are you going to another team next year
Um yep so I might not be as motivated I’ve already got my contract and I’ll go into another team so it’s one of these situations this time of year where I think the Europeans are at the moment um and I’m hoping that everybody’s here just kind of concentrating on uh this
Race rather than maybe coming here and I don’t know the the team selection here I’ve kind of looked at the European championships but but no World Championships are up at the end of September um it’s all about motivation I think you mentioned from what I thought of it
There’s some still big races to come there’s the last Monument to come ill lombardier um and it’s great to see that both the a catcher and ropeletcher I’ll go up against each other and you know with the potential ebony power there there’s going to be a cracker but there’s so
Much racing but again it’s all about motivation well that’s what I found that was always more I love this time of year I love autumn I love race at this time of year possibly a little bit better than the start of the year and definitely in the middle of the year
Because it got too hot for me but this type of year was perfect perfect conditions and I think we’ve got that here and I think if you’re motivated to do well I think you can do well um I will say to teams that the best
Place to start is right at the start of the Season where that’s where a lot you know World Tour big Riders haven’t got maybe top four maybe they’ve had not had too many races into it and you can gain some scalps this time of year it’s all about motivation
Break I motivated to try and stay away as long as possible but the gap’s coming down two minutes 15 seconds as they’re on to a descent that’s labeled fast and curving um start sheets not too many curves it’s a main road really isn’t it but it is extremely fast because of that
People will change quite Brusly we’re into a very short flat section before they start to climb the esched off one of the hardest climbs of the day four classified clients today but there’s plenty of unclassified climbing as always in the tour of Luxembourg Who’s where and we’ve got our first sight there over Richard karapas back in Action building up on his way to the lombardier coming back from that nasty crash an injury seen him competing already in Italy I think the team EF education easy post wanted him to get a stage race in his
Legs primes before he wanted to take on that final Monument of the season of course there’s the monument distance to the factor in In Lombardi isn’t there and the fact that there’s five hard days of racing here 700 odd kilometers in five days lots of climate it’s good practice
Yeah he was one of the ones I was surprised with because normally Rob when you do that can a block of racing whether it’s in the north of Europe or whether it’s in Italy you stay there with your team um so you you get yourself into it with
A bunch of your teammates and doing all the Italian races and I was a little bit surprised when I seen them because I covered um a race a few days ago in Italy and he wasn’t out kind of far off the pace finish in a second
Um you can watch all these races and and the highlights Brilliance brilliant racing so far in Italy always is and you know there’s a little bit surprised when I saw him here but I think you’ve just pretty much answered my question um come in here but is he coming here
For the general classification not too sure I think he might pick his days this day will suit them again a rider that can go over the climb and can Sprint towards the end but I think you say the the accumulation of you know some of the
Claims that we’ve got here uh will be good kind of preparation for Rio lombardier uh you can see him up there the Ecuadorian Champion quite easy to to pick out looks like a sweet um in the kind of pink and yellow and um he’s he’s definitely on form and um if
Your Lombardi is a goal then he needs as much reason as possible because some big guns riding and keep your eyes on other Riders getting ready for the dude one man hoping to end his career and Glory there is it’s likely to be his last devastate race really tempt him into doing something
Special certainly keep your eyes on today and maybe Wednesday depends on how it’s raced towards the end of the day today the late couple of climbs first the stair filter a descent and then the final climb the kirkberg in the capital itself for those of you wondering where we are
Within Luxembourg today we’ve gone North geographically before we turn back to the capital South to finish plenty of North and South all day long isn’t it the undulating stage they’ve just been South they’re on the flat they’re about to go north uphill again in a minute with all the Firepower that Bryce has
Been talking about the best that these three can hope for is to snaffle some King of the mountains points today isn’t it right yeah I think so it’s it’s coming down since we’ve been on air it’s coming down quite quickly so it’s been well controlled by multistar and Israel primer tickle though
Some teams are kind of pushing towards the front a good season this this year they’ve always come up and try and get involved you know sometimes raiding as a world tour team kind of learning the kind of whole process and they’ve got Alexander Camp who seems to be a rider that can
Sprint at the end go over these climbs I think that’s the the answer of the day someone that can do that but beautiful part of the world that is we can clearly see here just about to start this climb and not easy at all anyway around about
Luxembourg but very kind of clean place and like you say surrounded by so many different countries and so many different languages good training roads as well I mean there’s been stories of riders moving to Luxembourg being resident here despite not being from the area long history of quite a few Danes coming
To live here under the court the eshdorf 2.8 kilometers long look at that the average grade is an 8.4 we’re talking about things being getting ready for the children maybe some climbs here are slightly shorter than most of the ones they’ll take on In Lombardi but they are very
Similar in terms of gradient this is perfect training Terrain for the race of the falling leaves the weather’s great as well isn’t it I mean it’s always a lottery whatever time of year in northern Europe the scenery though is always there and just take a look at that look at Postcard
And it is the castle up in the ish sure national flag of Luxembourg flying there from the castle tower it’s like something from a film set isn’t it it’s splendid certainly one of these places Brian up get off air after broadcasting you start looking at flights
Wouldn’t mind having a few days up there taking the bike just riding around looks splendid no definitely um looking how lovely kind of clean part of the world as well um very green as well as as we can clearly see but yeah I’ve got a friend that moved here
To Danish friend that kind of looks after the national team he lives here um I don’t know why maybe it’s kind of a lot closer maybe to to Denmark than than possibly because you know people come here for for different reasons you know that’s why we see many people going to get a
Monaco or Andorra and and for those those same reasons some people come to to Luxembourg and it’s a little bit closer to pip or potentially the uh the temperatures we get there but yeah definitely good racing conditions and that was Jan Kristen going off the back there
There’s a rider up here as well who’s Michael keep your eyes on that did Kristen have an issue this is Valentine madwass at the back as well just wonder if a few Riders have stopped here for some sort of break you wouldn’t expect the likes of Madras or Christian to be
Struggling on this Terrain same with Diego what’s the chase is on at the minute isn’t it and things are very much calm in terms of racing let’s say the race for the win hasn’t really started yet Brian but the the foot of one of the most important climbs of the day maybe
Strange to see some of the bigger names yeah this is slightly off the back there yeah I think it’s a case of the I think they realize that nothing is really going to happen in this this climb it’s one of these feelings it’s very difficult having been out the Peloton we
Can it’s very difficult to read the race from the pictures that we’re seeing but you get a sense of feeling in the race that how things are going to to happen and by the looks of things with the control of the Peloton you can relax a bit on this climb um
Because you’re thinking that nothing’s going to happen of course you’re not always right you take some chances but we talk about it in other races that some Riders like to ride in the front some Riders right down the back madwise been one of them you know he’s okay he’s
A bit more relaxed and we saw that in some of the kind of Canadian races that he doesn’t mind being there just um he finds it more relaxing but I think it’ll be in the final claim that it will it will all kind of kick off so
But we’ll see you know there’s a bit more pressure being applied by a new team at the front Rob Sudan quickstep have come to the front and it’s another man who’s counting down to his final race in the satellite so now Quick Step where we talked about have brought Julia alafelipe they have
Andrea Jolie another Rider who’s changing teams over the winter he’s off Toledo Trek as fast as NADA back on his bike Maori Volcan who is in fine form in Quebec and enough on Wilder who’s running very very well at the minute going out the back here is malnus Court
32 with a nismarck or Halep steep climb this and first day of the stage race just getting going sometimes these steep climbs can bite you for a little bit I don’t think this I think maybe they’re not they’re not feeling too good or definitely they’re not feeling too good but normally Michael
Howard and Marcus Court there would be towards the front that they wouldn’t worry too much about you know this day and trying to get to the to the finish and you know trying to sprint out so potentially you know maybe just you know a little bit underparo
Perhaps as well like you just mentioned probably we’re sitting here watching this on the Telly as everybody else is at home or whether you’re on the Move watching on GCM plus Discovery Plus there’s plenty going on and perhaps the pace that’s being applied at the front
By these Dave nines is harder than it looks on the deli of course it is it’s always harder when you look at it it’s not until you go to a a live race and I would courage anybody that’s listening trying taking uh you know a live race standard say the
Road and one thing that I say to a lot of people maybe not now because I think the more educated and I always it always amazes me even you can always I was talking to something up for an event I had to hire a van locally at the Enterprise and I
Went along there and one of the managers there from Essex was there and I got kind of chatting to her about different things and she said what event are you doing I said I said I’m going to a gravel cycle and events the British championships or at the king’s cup over
In um Suffolk and she said to me I’ll just I’m just back from Barcelona where I was watching Live Oak Welter you don’t know people normally say especially in Britain the tour of Spain but she said no I would love welcome loved it you know raining of course it
Started live well too and she loved it but just people are just coming away with things that everybody knows who you know certain Riders are as well which I think is great that was Jonas hutch she was moving up Richard karapas and the paces on and I think the break’s starting to understand
Now that they might have much not much how long left at the front of this race that’s one of the reasons where Matt venzel is off in search of points now if he takes the maximum points at the top here he will be moving into the king of
The mountains Jersey Brian we’re talking about one of the youngest riders in the race a young Talent from the third division here with leopard Pro cycling he’s a local boy and what a story this would be a local lad on the podium at the end of the day but he’s got to get
There to the top and make sure he takes maximum points yeah always about motivation and I said that this time of year about motivation but I think for any time of year anytime that at least in a smaller teams especially these young guys get the opportunity of racing
Against you know some big teams and getting on television that that says that and it in itself is more motivation than anything else you need the legs as well as the motivation and look who’s here it’s Leonard Turtles might have the kick on the flatter terrain towards the top they’re about
300 meters now from that line but it kicks up again here turquoise just on the left in that yellow Jersey Belgian rider for the Belgian team Bingo one evil Excel 10 years the senior of Matt spencel who’s only 20. yeah you can clearly see the size of gear he just waited about um
If I was when so I just he’s not a lot smaller gear I’ll just wait wait but I think you’re right um the way that he rode across that Gap he looks super strong your eyes on this and it is terrain that would seem to suit more Turtles here and
Here comes the Sprint then till now is going to lead it out to perfect position isn’t it for the experience Rider a little bit of a slip of the gears there as he moves to the left-hand side does he have it it’s a big one and he does
Have it just about Leonard turkles picking the pocket of young Matt’s Wenzel and taking maximum points there more points here because this was an all category climb I just wish he had left a little bit a little bit later there in using a smaller gear but he went here I think
Purely because he thought turgus was was quicker so he went from distance two girls come across there but I would have hesitated a little bit more left it a little bit late it was close in the end draw but I think it was just the strength in the end from uh two girls
That got that one from a Bingo but that was that was close very close and I think he would have waited another 20 meters there um he may he may have got that one a lot closer than I think we were expecting it going into the last 250 meters of that climb
Yeah it wasn’t it a massive gear you could see it it sort of slipped was it as he started the Sprint as well yeah it’s just a talk it was through these these changes now and you know for obvious reasons is the you know we got up to
Kind of 12 gears at the back and things like that you know the the chains get a little bit smaller a lot of tension on them especially when you’re in a big ear and you’re starting to gonna Sprint a little bit and you know that’s the kind of nature of
The game that we’ve got but you know we had four then three now we’re down to two one minute 20 then Max Wenzel from Luxembourg Leonard turkles from Over the Border in Belgium Enzo’s the man in the Navy Jersey here in the fluorescent yellow it’s 30 year old Turtles
This is Chris Naylor’s former national champion of Latvia woman at 16 behind it now we’re going into an area of this race now that is much more undulating and then there’s a flat section that’s around 15 kilometers long final classified client today that comes within the last what is it nine kilometers
I think for for those who watch the Tour de France um seamless rated at the front Chris nylons writes you know really really well and it’s always the case when you get you know small teams out here of six Riders who are you going to put on the front to Chase
You consider Ezio Bremer take a look at philsang Hurley nylon strong tones and wits like you said at the top of the program who are they riding for you know it’s a super strong uh team that they’ve got here but if someone has to do the
Work then you have to make the call it’s the one of seven national champions on the start list but the most important here why well he’s won the flag of the home nation isn’t he it’s Alex Kish luxembourg’s National Champion Racing for Lidl Trek defending Champions but haven’t brought their strongest Squad here
Doesn’t mean they don’t have a potential winner overall does it because Julio Ciccone is on the startless prime yeah that’s good um you know obviously test battery on uh courses here helmos galapan you know he’s another way to retire and Qatar I’ll do a bad experience Raider but
I tell you what Roberts and that was quite privileged to be able to do this but it’s really nice being a national champion but see you right in your national tour it just gives you a little bit that kind of extra special motivation and to do something special
And I think College course is that sort of Razor that will want to to do something special here can I show off that Jersey um in his home tour we’ve got you know quite a few um Riders from Luxembourg here but just having that Jersey on is actually special
We’ve ever so briefly back there with Vito Brad and now we’re with Julian Anna Felipe who himself is riding here in the wind at the front blowing from left to right as we look at it and Anna Felipe try to split things up Brian yeah it looks like it he got three seven
I used to ride it’s kind of hard and and often and I was actually having a conversation at the weekend there about different kind of parts of training and what you learn from training and can affirm approach what they’re teaching and one of the things that I learned was
The right heart of a climate training but go even harder over the top for the next kind of four five hundred meters and it doesn’t exactly go downhill and so you always look at opportunities and and I know we’ve got this climb uh coming up as well towards the end but
Always look at an opportunity to spot a race if you’ve got teammates in front I know it’s not a huge Peloton today at all but I’ve always looked at an opportunity first stage developed coming up masnada there you know just looking to split things up so I don’t think
There’s enough wind to be able to do that but you can imagine if there was it’d be absolute chaos here in about fourth position in his Ecuadorian national champions Jersey we saw the man from Western Australia Ben O’Connor Tour de France stage winner and top five finisher
He’s up there as well in the white and brown of assurance it’s got quite blowy here some of those wavering leaves are caused by the helicopter but not all of them a move on the left inside Lotto destiny accompanied by Yama visma and a door is up there on the right as
We look at it from Costa Rica Bob jungles escorted to the front he’s running the green of borahan screw it and the former winner of the age paste four finisher ajiro d’Italia and of course white jersey there as well it’s always strange to see him in a team
Jersey because for years and years he’s always Luxembourg champion slowly getting used to it though that’s anywhere near as successful in the last three or four years unfortunately for him and unfortunately for lots of books cycling as well because he was on his way to being a grand to a superstar he
Did have that very good comeback last year he won he won a stage of the tour of course Has made it way back to the front but it might not be for too long the way it’s going Ryan no I don’t think so they’ve got it well under control I don’t think they’re too kind of worried and to be honest with you to bring these kind of three Riders back
When he started riding on about that and you know it was about three and a half minutes and they brought it back quite quickly so you know almost three minutes had been brought back in about 20 30 kilometers nobody really kind of wants to take on
Now no no no real reason to do that I think movistar and Israel primatech for the teams that were controlling things and now that it’s only kind of 30 odd seconds everybody’s kind of sitting back Quick Step try and think about doing something I think it’s a case of and we saw mad
Watson various other Riders right at the back just a case of just kind of saving everything for this kind of final climb in the run down to the Finish see the wind is still affecting things just the way everybody’s riding here but of course it’s a twisty turny route
Today there’s not many long straights so many opportunities where you can say okay we’ve got this 10 kilometer section for example like you might have in parkinis at the start of the Year where you know the wind’s gonna be always there on the exposed sectors even here we’re twisting and turning onto this
Descent and it’s a really fast part of today’s stage isn’t it heading into these uncategorized climbs that are going to take us up to the intermediate Sprint in niche at the front in the red white and blue you’ve got Amador alongside him in the pink and there’s a lot of looking around
Makes his way up to the front there’s one the yellow Jersey Diego Lisi left hand side cycling royalty along the front here Brian indeed for this race but I think more is but kind of keeping your nose out the winds I think that’s acceleration by Ella Felipe he’s got
People look at nerve you know um you don’t want to kind of throw it all away in the first stages it’s been a five-day stage events and think about a lot of riders on here because of this time travel we’ve gotten it’s especially in the confino final throws
Of the race that you really want to to try and take a little bit Advantage um and this is a heli staged today and tomorrow just looking at it we’ve got pretty much a Sprint stage then I’m probably the only one I think isn’t it this week yeah I think so it’s
Got kind of flat Sprint stage Mountain Stage and a third stage then we get the time trial and then what happens in the time trial I think you’ve got a very very difficult final day um I know it’s quite Helly but I think what the organizers are thinking
Um because there’s a couple of kind of back Edge Sprints in the circuit towards the end I think they’re hoping it’s still going to be quite close by then and we’ll have a kind of final day of their fireworks because you know this time trial they’re 23.9 kilometers is
Long enough to make some some decent gaps it’s called a site there of Mattel Jorgensen sitting in his multi-star jersey alongside one of the yellow jerseys of Yambo visma and he’s the man who’s going to be heading to yombo visma over the winter one of the men who’s
Going to be joining well not just one of the most successful teams in recent years you have to say after what we saw on Sunday in Madrid Brian one of the most full and historic things you’ve ever seen in professional cycling Before the Race gets going today what’s your take
On the the one two three from yumbo this man Madrid and well the one two three zero tour and Welter um I think I think it’s brilliant I think I don’t like dominance um and I think a lot the fans did like the dominance of kind of team sky in a day but
I think jumbo Bismarck got a super city that um and I think it’s very unique I think to to win all three grand Tours with three different Riders there’s not I think it’s the only team that I can think of That’s Got a Raiders capable of doing that because these Riders cost money
When you can sit at a you know Grand Tour why not uh you’re talking about around about what contract about five million round about that and if you put you know three grand tour winners together that’s 15 million that’s the budget about in a whole world tour team uh some
Of them so yeah I think history has been made um and it was always a case that I think team Sky were trying to do it for so many years uh and failed um and it was always a goal it costs a lot of money you know they’ve got a big
Budget at the same time you need a little bit of luck and you need the right riders to be able to deliver it and um I just thought there’s some stages that were a little bit you know what’s happening here you know why they why they’re dropping Kush
What the reason and there’s a lot of decision and you’ve got to remember that for a lot of this kind of sports directors this difficult job managing the situation especially if you have no TV picture so you don’t know what’s going on the race um and the writers are taking a thing
From themselves but at the end of the day um you know some people don’t like the fact that it was kind of gift it um to step Goose but I think at the end of the day he he deserved it in the end um for the all that kind of hard work
He’s done over over the past years and it’s not the first time that you know gifts have been made in certain teams and things like that that’s just I’m not having that word yeah I’m not having that word I know you say it okay a gift
It’s it’s definitely not a gift is it come on I mean uh no it’s not but um if you come to the Finish was it um E3 where was it that uh walked by not um yeah that that was different I think that that that’s very different you’re
Talking you know this is this is a management and a breakaway took the red jersey I think he was a very very worthy winner but yeah yeah I mean there’s our gifts in cycling let’s not let’s not beat around the bush that that happened I mean I can think about contador and
Tita Longo and all that sort of stuff um you know and again rewarding lots of work but this was a very very different Beast you know this is a proper a grand tour winner a unique one as you say because it’s the one two three and
There’s a different way of of you know deciding who would win but of course the legs had to be there didn’t they over three weeks of course they have like I said deserved an ounce um but like you know I think we we both agree there are there are gifts
Um you know I think the the strongest man from what I saw because it was difficult because I was doing other things and I wasn’t covering the world to prove what I saw in the kind of catch up think ago I think was the the strongest Rider there which again is exceptional
In itself you know I think now in modern cycle and everybody who you know they looked about doing the double you know I’m talking about Italia Tour de France and everybody said that’s just too difficult to do now um but to do the Tour de France well
Well that would have been good so yeah I think in the end of the day I think for cycling and I think to to go back to the your question what my thoughts on it I don’t like domination um I like to see kind of teams mixing up
Um and I know that’s what team Sky maybe went through a little bit um you know with the kind of fans and things that are not liking it in the way they control things maybe before in the kind of Lance Armstrong period but I think because it said Kirsten because
He’s such a a lovable and likable guy um the fact he’s come from America which you know is a huge Bush for for for for that country as well um I just think people are willing to gonna accept it you know it’s not often a good guys win and and good guys don’t
Want to break races but I think they did this too they certainly did I mean again there’s such there’s too big a confirmation a conversation for me to be had the talk of gifts and things I mean you know there was even talk of yombo business Sports directors being worried that
Chris was going to take too much time so you could argue that he was going to take more time and actually win the Welter earlier when he was in the Breakaway and that was something I heard from the directors themselves talking to Daniel fiber on the cycling podcast but
Yeah jumbo bismuth the first and only team to have won all three grand Tours and they did it with three different Riders now we’re seeing the French Champion there sorry Brian come on yeah no you just just finished that you’ve got to remember who allowed this to happen we allowed
Zip code to be in the Breakaway first and foremost it was a team so the team put themselves in their own situation and had to make some big choices and decisions which luckily were made in the end but not easy it’s a French champion on the left-hand side
You were talking about big morale boosts there and amazing feats and things happening there’s been a big blow to coolpama fdg which I’m just learning about we’re not seeing too many cool Bama fdsu jerseys in the middle of that pack and I was all ready to talk about the
Tibolpino farewell touries last ever stage race getting back to racing and working to get those legs into the right way to take on the chili lombardier I am afraid that both Pinot and Gordo have abandoned halfway through the opening stage of this shkorda tour of Luxembourg Tibor
Pino and David godu both feeling unwell I’m afraid and are out of the race already that is a big blow as we start to see a little look around here I’ll pass into kerning deciding that they want to go up the road sit down Quick Step asking the question of Israel
Premier Tech and movistar saying well shall we chase him yeah that’s every every team has got their their options um you know when you think of Quentin Herman’s sword and crowd you know Xander morrissa you know there’s there’s three names I would put in the mix even axolotions the young
French Sprinter that’s kind of moved over but I think looking at our team that I think they’re just maybe five percent off uh off the pace a little bit um and that’s I think that’s why they’re starting to you know do kind of probing moves 46 and a half case to go
And hear the trio I think even a bit of a reprieve you were hinting earlier on Brian that it was too early maybe for things to come back together because conventional tactics would say that but as we’ve just been discussing about the world not much is conventional at the
Minute is it it’s a wonderful time to be a bike racing fan well I’m going to use that work that you don’t like they’ve been gifting another minute the wind’s really blowy isn’t it I mean I given the fact we’re not on the grounds I did obviously Checkers we
Always do don’t we the weather the wind which direction it’s flying it’s part of our race prep for every single day we do you see the leaves and the trees and you wonder oh is that the helicopter but no it is really blowy out there today and every time they turn into one
Of these exposed Fields you can just see the lighters over the one side a few nervous people moving up certainly something that we’re gonna have to keep our eye on in the final 45.7 case certainly as we’re coming up to what is the flattest section of the
Race in the next 30 days or so you know there’s always a thought of what you’re going to do as a pro cyclist what you’re going to do when you end your career and it comes to everybody I think for especially cyclists Road cyclists like you say they’ve got access
To all these apps and the one thing that they always look at is the wind direction I know from my work with the teams that’s something I always kind of looked at in detail because it’s okay for us to go on and I use an app that changes you know all the time
And it’s okay when you go out there Rob and you look at the the wind direction but as you know the changes from the time of day as well so you have to kind of keep on looking at it as you go along because you know what
Could be uh ahead when Katana to cross went halfway through a stage and unless you’re kind of keeping up with that so if a lot of these Riders out there if you’re looking for a career afterwards think about being a weatherman unfortunately the way the world’s going
That might be an even more difficult science to predict a minute and 40. and that is on his way to being the king of the mountains in your picture right now Leonard turgles Racing for Bingo wallanibo head down in the break trying to stay out there
A young Talent on show just behind him 20 year old age massive Enzo a Luxembourg Racing for the leopard t-o-g-t Pro cycling team development team from Luxembourg and in the middle there well they’re Breakaway Staples aren’t they Flanders balwaz and Vito brat who’s been in the Flemish School of Road cycling for a
While moving up from the very well-known Flemish School of Road cycling Flanders balwaz formerly top sportslander they’ve been around since Adam were allowed haven’t they and he’s moving up to Anthony next year one of the Belgian World teams mother of the Belgian World teams sudar Quick Step here and did he stavenheit again
A lot of cats still about sudar quickstep who’s going to be there next year most of the talk at the minute who isn’t signing for them I mean chat yesterday about Tinder cleric probably leaving we haven’t had any confirmation from a team but the chat was yet another signing for leadership
That I must stress is a rumor at the minute but it seems to come from very well placed sources um I must admit that is one manner I never thought I’d seen a different Jersey yeah you can see that he’s the looking up engine room of the team we’ve seen
Her so so much riding on the front but I think Patrick fever is he’s had to make big decisions he always says he’s not got a huge budget right he’s always looked after it it doesn’t pay over the odds for anybody people come and write for for him because they they gained success
And you know he’s just proving it over the past that the success he’s had but as soon as you start you know building a team around every Pole you know I believe there may have been some chart between other teams and you know Ebony Paul and kind of looking at it but
I know that by the looks of things happening Paul was kind of happy to be in that team but to have that kind of GC team that he requires uh when you have to kind of compete with the kind of young boy visma who just under travel
You need to build that team around them and that costs a lot of money GC teams cost a lot of money and something has to give and when you consider the amount of Raiders and top riders that are moving away to other teams the only reason is the
The possibly have been offered a contract um and they can get more money somewhere else and they’ve decided to go somewhere else or um like Fabio jakobser he’s decided that well if you’re not going to take me to the tour next year you know I want to
Ride the biggest races in the world and 30 Francis is the biggest so I’m gonna go there so there’s a lot different reasons for that to happen but I know I don’t have to say that I feel a little bit for Patrick the fever this year because he’s had to make big
Decisions to make sure that you know Anthony Paul was happy because if he’s happy then then particularly forever is happy it’s it’s during the season when there was a lot of that kind of rumor Mills going around that other teams were kind of trying to kind of pinch them and things
Like that and they had to do something about it still fiercely competitive and fantastically successful on the bike 50 wins again racked up recently on the bike this season you know maybe not as they’re not the only team out there with those big wins all at the minute you
Know young boy this man you AEO are racking up win numbers rather like we saw saddle Quick Step doing like no other team was doing for quite a few years but it’s off the bike I’d like to spend a brief moment speaking about sudar quickstep if I may just while the
Race is like this a minute and 20 seconds and heading inward about 15 kilometers to our intermediate Sprint but we really have to congratulate should our Quick Step today for throwing their weight and working behind a brand new campaign they’re working with a Belgian charity named teleon tal and
They’re trying to build awareness about a campaign that is aimed at encouraging people to look after their mental health removing the stigma around talking about our personal mental well-being and looking after each other’s mental health as well I know this is something that’s certainly very dear to quite a few
People within the team and I’m sure you won’t mindly saying this Phil low team press officer you’ll have seen his face being showered in Champagne the world despacito side of his job but of course I know that he has been working for a couple of years on this initiative within the team
The initiative is called part of the pack of course they are the wolf pack aren’t they the self-style wolf pack Quick Step they’re going to be promoting the positive effects of cycling being active and healthy in general and all of that can have on everybody’s mental health
And with Tilly on Tau they’ve built a number of tips onto how to start conversations how to look after ourselves better it’s a micro site online if you go to the sudar Quick Step website you’ll find the link part of the pack plenty of details about seeking help from Charities like teleons Islander
Sister organizations in 40 different European countries so this isn’t for anybody who lives in Belgium this is for everybody out there I know that Phil and the rest of the team are very passionate about this it starts with us Dot sudar quickstepteam.com we really must congratulate our Quick
Step and of course wherever you’re watching whatever you’re doing check on your mates won’t you make sure they’re okay ask a question and that’s not always easy is it to talk about things it’s good to see that everybody’s trying to spread that message Wolfpack are part
Of the pack and working very very hard to increase awareness and just get people to chat and it all starts with a chat line yeah of course it does um I see everybody has got their their own issues and it’s not easy being a writer it’s not busy being part of a team
You know I learned a lot of this working with teams uh and it wasn’t just the Riders I spoke to it was the um the mental health of the staff um you know the mental health of you know special mechanics you know first ride or first people love first
You know lasted to bed you know I used to spend a lot of time with them but I don’t fell personally myself and you know I’ve been out in the bank we fell when he used to live in in the UK and you know he’s had his his own problems as well
Um you know a lot of other kind of happens and it took so long for him to to get back on on the bike and feeling okay um I’m glad he is gonna follow what he’s doing um when he’s living I think he’s living just outside Antwerp or in the Antwerp area
Um and Belgium somewhere so is he is getting out and about and you know he’s got kind of high pressure job as well and you know looking after the kind of PR Communications of a team like that it’s it’s not always easy but yeah like you say it’s
It’s just that can I open it up and asking the question because everybody has kind of underlying problems at some time it’s you know not all the time but it’s sometimes they just want that kind of question Say it again check in on your mates won’t you under the unclassified climbs on our way to the intermediate Spritz and back to the Roman Mosaic here on the way contain Gardens take some time and it’s time that’s being taken back again by the Peloton now once more 90s working hard
And this is his terrain as a bike rider isn’t it short sharp climbs can ride all day on this sort of thing yeah it’s one of these riders that can do well and some other kind of flat races in in Belgium but you know exceptionally well when it gets up and
Down and you know over his career and you know I’ve been commentating probably over 17 years now um and you’ll see them and some of the kind of flat races working for the team and you see them in the hilly races he’s he’s very kind of versatile but
I think you’ve seen them in the radio just a moment ago um just having a wee chat about you know whether to to ride like he did before you know they were the team that came up and started riding first and foremost and the Gap came down to the Breakaway
They gained another minute and now he’s back at the front again 38ks to go as The Sun Shines on a glorious afternoon in Luxembourg it’s stage one of five of the national tour over 700 kilometers plenty of climbing and a time trial along the way starting in the Luxembourg Capital today
Finishing back there on Sunday as well as old castles and beautiful small towns we’ll see the Cosmopolitan City out in the sticks right now to the north and heading south again and these are the three men of four who are the initial Breakaway today they had a maximum gap of six minutes
The one man missing is the 24 year old Oliver Knudson the Danish Rider from leopard Pro cycling a local team had two riders in the break didn’t they start the day only Matt’s venzel remains he’s the man in the middle here in those Navy shorts and
Navy Jersey at the back in the white blue and yellow you’re looking at Vito brat in these last few races for his current team Flanders balwaz he’s going to be graduating to the World Tour next year with Anthony Martine another Belgian in the break as well in the shape of Leonard turkles
Current Gap is one minute two seconds it’s been multistar Israel Premier Tech and now sudar quickstep doing most of the racing today a little bit of wind about as you can see and teams again nervous about moving up making sure that they’re not caught out in case of any
Splits the latest team doing that in the pink you can see EF education easy post just in the foreground of your picture moving up and they’re moving Richard catapayas towards the front of this race some news to bring you about two Riders from kupama fdg we heard that table Pino
Riding probably his last ever stage race we were assured that what was going to be the case that may change now David goju as well has abandoned the race so both of them abandoning I’m afraid not a good start to the race for grupama who won this very stage last
Year with vanotta madwas who is now the French champion and I can tell you he’s very much still in this race today spotted Bender Healy as well Brian he’s a rider to look out for on this parkour yeah and from from recent races in Canada you you know he’s at least in a
Trying um never can have paid off for them but you know he was there and there about so I would think that you know heli terrain like today he’s another Rider it would be in the mix um not a rider that packs up a good
Sprint in the end but he knows if it kind of splits up you know when they’re running towards the Finish but let’s see what he can produce there’s so many Raiders in this race that have got possibilities it is unfortunately the the Jew especially in the first stage
When you climb up at the food station it’s how else can I create a question marks for me are they are they really sick um did they come here just to kind of make the numbers up um you know until we get kind of confirmation but it’s easy to see you
Know the hearsick as as most people know that you have to kind of come here with you know certain amount of numbers but to lose go to and also uh Pino it’s it’s I think it’s a big blow for the for the race well that’s certain crowd he knows these
Roads very well he’s a Dane I’m not sure if he still lives here but for a long time he did live in Luxembourg at the start of his career said he didn’t really want to move to the warm climbs of Monaco or down into Spain or anywhere like that preferred the the cooler
Weather a man who likes fishing in his spare time and there’s plenty of rivers and lakes to do that here he loves it here you could write her to look at the overall as well wouldn’t he with the time trial involved yeah it’s his Farm’s been been there
Um not quite there as we’ve seen in the past so as you say I don’t think he said much to worry about um around about Luxembourg um Good Time Travelers as well but let’s see what you can do but definitely a top top Raider but as in top top form
I’m not too sure I was in the clinic with Quentin hair mons as well it’s good to Reign for him Sandra vergalito El Bandidos here from Italy as well as Fabio from and axel Lawrence they too continuing to rack up the wins in another very good news story for them from the Welter spania
What a final stage that was eh Kaden Grove showing that he can do it from the Breakaway as well the next of all small but beautiful towns on your picture everywhere seems to have a castle as well well that’s a grand duchy but they had a few places to live didn’t they
Didn’t have to you know go back home oh stay in the next town this is usledanga Castle And of course the centerpiece of yet another picturesque town just hanging out here it’s gonna be a big ask for them to make it to our final categorized climb of the day though Brian by the looks of things but you did mention this a little bit before
And it and it went out another minute but I don’t think it’ll happen for a second time I think you think what should our Quick Step is trying to kind of instigate something that never really gonna happen surgery Stephens was cool to the front again to
Try and bring this gap down a little bit but from what I see um it’s a strong enough Breakaway but like you’re alluded to I don’t think they’ll go to the Finish it’s more about Gonna Save an energy of your team and you know looking at this run in towards
The finish and how you can benefit from it in and out of the rubbish Zone I have to say that what two three years into that practice now it seems to have been adopted very very well and I know if everybody was up in arms weren’t they
At the start people don’t like change do they but what um a difference that has made to the image of cycling if if nothing else Brian you know we we just don’t get people you know throwing things away into these beautiful places we go to anymore it’s that is a really
Welcome change and one that seems to have just been adopted after all of that hullabaloo and noise at the start and has gone down really well it has and I hope it keeps being adopted by you know the the club Riders as well because quite often you know I’ll go out
In the bike and and see rappers at the side of the road it’s quite easy to to just put in your pocket there’s no reason to keep them I know they get a little bit kind of sticky and things like that but you know just put them in your pocket or
Under your chairs here or somewhere and just get rid of them when you can yeah add something onto that as well certainly living in somewhere that’s a big destination for a lot of people to come around the world and ride their bikes of course a beautiful beautiful part of the world
But the amount of absolute rubbish gels and you know tubes that have been punctured air canisters things like that you see on the road it is embarrassing sometimes unless you predicted Brian the oracle the Cap’s gone down below a minute 53 seconds now yeah it’s a it’s a case Rob of not
Really kind of chasing a breakaway it’s a case of trying to make it difficult as you said it’s kind of up and down no um you know the average pace is I don’t know 40 kilometers an hour then you know brings in you know everybody within the Peloton of it’s up
You can have 4748 then it’s a little bit harder um you know you squeeze the legs of many of your you know Rivals and think by the looks of things Allah Philippe just makes that a little bit harder um picking up trying um can I dead in the legs of some of the
The other Rivals and some of the other helpers that they’ve got At The Thorn lands again 32ks to go a bright but fairly blustery afternoon in Luxembourg nice temperatures for riding your bike at 22 degrees Gap at 48 seconds as the turns continue to be exchanged can I quit I know it’s beautiful tones but having covered the tour of Britain
Recently in every town that we go into it was like oh the fans who are outputs to the looks of things you know it’s gonna sparse it side of the roads a lot of that probably more to do with General culture of attending events possibly something that in in Great Britain
Is extremely extremely well done whatever the event whatever the sport there’s nobody what’s in Britain I don’t think because of the amount of people on the side of the roads I will leave that discussion to another day because we saw a crowd on the back one
On Three just in front of him is Mark here she moving swiftly on Brian he’s another one for today Mark Kersey if you remember last year it was a very selective finish wasn’t that final couple of kilometers as we go to the help canap Chapel again that looks like something out of
The film set as well so this afternoon light sun down there and in the middle of the Woods this race doing a very very good job of showing again one of the smallest countries on the planet off to the world [Applause] time for a last drink maybe or maybe not
Too much work to do just to stay out in the front again we aren’t on the ground here Brian but I can imagine this is a very nice race to be at if you are a rider or a staff member given what I’ve just said about this being one of the smallest
Countries on the planet not massive transfers you’re never really more an hour in the car away from wherever you’re trying to get to um and I can’t imagine that you’re changing Hotel that’s the the biggest thing um is a team you look at if you’re in the same material then great but
On the flip side of that Rob all these staff members here they they all work hard all work hard um and you don’t often see the kind of life in the day of a staff member of a team so every race that you go to in you know there’s a lot of
I try taking a restrict it to about 120 days a year some people insisted in doing a little bit more but you know you got a chance of kind of burnout because you’re gonna feel on the whole time get very little sleep um but they all work hard so irrelevant
Of the race the country and everything all that okay it’s nice because some of them still do a lot better exercise when they can whether it’s kind of after the stage they they go out for a little run or they meet in the morning and they go
Out for a little run and I’d say running and not cycling because when you go in the bike it’s you don’t really go out about for half an hour do you and running gives you that little bit you know more um exercise and it’s quicker to do and
Easier because you’re limited to be time so staff members work work really really hard but I think the main thing is if you’ve not got that kind of travel um that healing Gates a day because you’ve got the mechanics they’ve been out in the road all day and they have to
Get back and straight to work and if you’ve got you know two hour three hour four hour transfer that’s when it starts to hurt that’s when it takes you into like in the middle of the night Yeah I haven’t been in and around events and travel I can say running seems to do a lot more for you doesn’t it it’s that nice Escape I’ve got an issue about that though Brian I’m turning 40 in a couple of months but the problem is my knees have already got
There before me well let me let me know in a couple of months what it feels like to be 40 then I think the knees might have moved on a decade before then but yes it’s just getting out in the fresh air isn’t it and getting that half
An hour break from like you say the monotony of of the hotel mechanic struck or you know whatever your job is you might be you know if you’re a sports director you’re sitting in in the car all day that’s not particularly healthy existence is it and then you know the
Way you talk to sports directors now there’s a world of emails and apps and things to check there’s race plans there’s a heck of a lot of adminton it’s a very long day isn’t it yeah definitely um you’re looking for that you know a little bit of a kind of half hour and
Not unless you’re going to show on Yips and go out to the crack of dawn and don’t sleep and do a nice in a couple of hours but you don’t need that um can I exercise and it’s a lot easier to do with the with running but
And you don’t have the time to kind of ride bike or do anything I know some people used to gonna swim and do different things even just go for a walk just get a little bit fresher but yeah it’s always the case that um can I knees and joints and running
Doesn’t suit everybody but and I think one of the years we went on site for the Giroud Italia um I’m not running no way I’m running and uh Sean was always at me Carl come out running with us I said no I can’t run I’m a
Cyclist and he um I went to the Italian gyms and one of the gyms I was on one of the exercise bikes and my in the down stroker my hair was hitting the hit the ground I just said enough of this sure and I’ll come out running with you
Tomorrow take it easy on me and that’s that’s how my running career started you heard it first on GCM plus and Discovery plus Brian Smith’s running hero is none other than Sean Kelly but he’s not my hero he’s my trainer he’s my coach you could be forgiven they’re thinking that there’s not too
Much happening on the road there isn’t too much happening in terms of the race yet but we’re not far now Brian from the launch pads for the intermediate Sprint from the race in terms of the stage when really being launched yeah it’s a slow build um still just devenay setting a piece at
The front there’s so many teams I think when we came on air with mobile star and uh Israel Premier Tech saw a bit of a glimpse of Tudor Pro cycling but all in all it’s a lot of teams have just kind of sat back and when normally that happens they’re all
Kind of sitting and waiting and you know I think we are going to see a um quite a nice final to today’s stage Stephen carlswick talking of riders from Jumbo bismuth so close to winning a granter himself wasn’t he in the pink yellow d’Italia and into the snow
He’s been very unlucky with injuries and crashes in his career hasn’t he an injuries this last 18 months or so as well Lisa Ryder who the team still believes in and well if he can refine top form in grand Tours it is another one of the top climbers in
The world to add to your Arsenal isn’t it did you catch much of the tour of Britain now there was a rather other big race I was watching in the afternoons on in Spain bro one that had more than Sprint finishes yeah well I was covering a tour of Britain um
And Stephen Curry Road at the front pretty much the whole race um I think I said it at the time that for someone that came close they went in The Grand Tour that’s what you want in a team someday that is potentially a grand tour winner and
If you if you’ve got a few of them on your team then you know your question you know they’ll be with you in the high mountains and the Flatlands and things that I look after you so he did his self and use van emden with the two
Engines of that team that’s why I came down to the the Sprint finishes because of both of those Riders all joking aside by the way really well under the tour of Britain organizers and it was extremely difficult put a race on and of course you talked about the
Crowds Brian brilliant to see them back 25 kilometers to go 38 seconds is the gap Turtles Sprat and Benson sun shining they know that they’re in the last quarter of a century today hardest and most of the climbs are out the way [Applause] beasts remaining [Applause] short uncategorized climbs here but there’ll
Be some talking about are they cut the star filter inside the final nine kilometers and the kirkberg upon which this stage finishes in the Luxembourg capital UAE Emirates start to awake from their slumber [Applause] remember former winner in Ulysses here Brandon McNulty if you want to watch for
The overall weren’t he certainly if there’s a time trial and a big difficult Mountain Stage involved say hilly stage involved we’re talking about 18 gradients to be climbed three times we’re getting to the intermediate Sprint now here in Minch inside the next kilometer it arrives should be around 400 meters 500 meters
Now if the tick is right again in terms of bonus seconds it’s gonna go to the Breakaway here nice the Euro prices as well we’re getting towards the end of the season due time so some money to put into the pot and the intermediate Sprint classification too [Applause] well on my map
23.7 to goes the moment let’s sign up here let’s have a look it’s just Direction I’m lost in any case as far as intermediate Smith’s concerned the bonus seconds and the like that’s going to become much more interesting and much more important once the GC is on the way after today Brian
You would think so um but it’s a significant time trial not too sure five six seconds will make a bit of a difference it might do at some stage of the general classification I hope it does in the final stage we get two sprints in the circuit at the end so
You know hopefully it doesn’t get some exciting racing but let’s see 33 seconds cars start to make their way out of the Gap now it’s been a valiant effort to stay out as long as possible across really difficult terrain today he’s just joining us this is a stage that’s 155 kilometers long
Two and a half thousand meters of climbing and some of the top riders in the world there’s 10 world team tour teams here and some of the second division teams present have brought well some of their top talent as well on a Mirch Castle a little more modern than some we’ve
Seen out the sticks I know the catch isn’t far away the black jerseys of Tudor Pro through the center Ryan you talked about it their mentality riding as if they’re already a world team they’ve proved it throughout the year winning some of the most historic races
In the sport in fact the oldest classic in the world was taken by them by Arvid the clan in Milan Turin right at the start of the year and I know really that was a breakthrough win for them something that they’re extremely proud of and watch this space this is a team
That’s on its way to big things on its way to some big name signings we know that until trentine probably the headline name of those but there are many coming and of course some very big races I think will be written by the next year possibly even a grand tour debut
Little barter on the left hand side for mommy star a lot of Destiny have been in fine form this year on the right they’ve got Adam for hookus back at the team by the way after a very very short spell away not even a year he lasted he
Couldn’t stay away but in full moon and Victor cabernarts is their squad here Gap below half a minute now a couple of coffee this Jersey’s moving up on the left another team with a stronger Squad we set it right at the start today this is probably the strongest start
List in the tour of Luxembourg since the date change that came in 2020 Tour de France stage winner walleyes Classics man Perez who gets better with age and young dulit who keeps getting well get better as well and young Oliver Knight British Rider is part of their squad too
Reminder again I know some of you been switching on as the afternoon goes this is a race that comprises 20 teams of just six Riders now we’ve got the results of the Sprinter three term one second going behind brat taking the three seconds and the Five Points venzel with three points
Turtle’s taking two and of course the last two taking two and one second respectively nothing doing really as we explained just a few kilometers back with regards to the general classification start to see that possibly as Prime was saying in stages three and five twenty case to go today
And now it’s the flattest part of the parkour for the next 10 kilometers or so you have a thing about it I think we’re going to see the replay of this Sprint Rob because um we’re all through it and to think the TV director picked up on it
There we go just rolled through said rush but there was no rush it certainly wasn’t there is here though little Trek and Dario catalo moving up the left-hand side it’s great to see him back on his bike approaching the grand finale of the opening stage of this year’s tour of
Luxembourg an event that was born in the 1930s used to take place in June until a post-covered date change to the end of the summer the beginning of autumn a race rebooted reinvigorated a race with five races within a race five different stages entertaining ones as well let the
Race for each of those and of course the general classification that is likely to be conditioned by the queen stage on day three and the time trial on stage four we’re on Castle watch as always in this part of the world this is Sean Fell’s Castle or what’s left of it
But whatever is left of it is beautifully preserved look at that Gothic architecture towards the top there and not much left of the Gap now for the Breakaway four Riders got up there initially they had more than six minutes four artists and three teams two belgians a Dane and a luxemburger all on
Their debut in this race so it’s gonna be a memorable first day particularly for the three who survived benzo the young man from this very Nation the 20 year old brat the Belgian from Flanders balwaz in the white blue and yellow there and in the yellow red and black at
The front Leonard turgles who’s on his way to being the king of the mountains perhaps there’s still one classified climb to go looks as though we’ll see action from the Peloton heading there however without even trying they’re bringing this back 19 seconds now hobby style they’ve been very active today
Lots of talk and rumors swirling around in the press and almost Unthinkable ones described in the Press the multi star we’ll see what’s going to happen there over the winter Quintana Alejandro balberde it’s like we’re going back in time maybe they are just that though rumors we will see
I think there’s very little doubt that balberde wants to come back confirmed recently in the Press bio Savion sweat of course it and then into his 40s now despite his glittering career maybe got to see that being a direction that the team would want to move in if we even get started on
The change of the team already moving on from one personality quite naturally dominating things they’re a team that’s maybe looking for their identity at the minute and certainly looking for results they haven’t had too many of them got a really strong team here though and obviously looking to try and make it
Count with the way they’re riding Calm before the storm Brian looks that we’re at 22 seconds I think it’s just a more a case of fighting for a position I’m not saying it’s a big fight at the moment but it’s a little bit of noise it’s just when you
Can’t say the last gonna 20 25 kilometers keep your team leader out of trouble right towards the front and I think that’s the case of what we we’ve got not a huge Peloton but still more riders in Frontier as you go around some of these kind of corners and things like the more
Chance that is that you know Touch Away was a crash and then you’re on the back of it so yeah very important and coming down even more as we could do this town final categorize climb of the day is the cooked the star filter last time we’ve climbed this
Particular client the last couple of years old maida was the stage winner a couple of years ago Madras one last year but it’s the climb after it where we see the end game really once we’re back into the Luxembourg capital just under a couple of kilometers long starts immediately after the descent
From startleton they come around this Bend the Peloton will see the three men in the Breakaway one more acceleration and it will be day over for the three escapists visual contact and it works both ways Don’t Look Back eh and before we get into the fight for the
Stage a reminder that we know the European championships are on at the minute aren’t they you can watch that live and On Demand depending on your territory restrictions the place to watch Discovery plus GCM Plus Brian and I are going to be with you all week until Sunday with the Tour de
Luxembourg tour of Luxembourg and then we’re off to the Italian classics plenty more still to come on the road as we move into the final month month and a half of this year’s 2023 season I’m also done on the road we’ll be heading out to the Crossfield and on to
The boards of the TCL the track Champions League which returns for a third season must be left to hang to dry If that’s reminded you to take your washing in now is not the time because we’re approaching the final climbs and the action is about to kick off keep your arm real back up Austrian champion from all these days that’s something of a comeback this year we saw
Him in a tour of the Alps didn’t we have to a couple of dry years without any success can he be the man to give mavi Star some late season success and thinking forward thinking about the points and it’ll quickly come around Brian we talked about it last year didn’t we relegation promotion
I’ll be starby wanted to rack up the points after not an amazing period in terms of success yeah they’d be wanting what they can get but just watch here we come up and you know the young man hey Wenzel just went up to say look I’ve had enough I
Don’t know about you okay I’ll shake your hands and um there’s a couple of them not willing to give up but I think he was trying to call her a bit of a truce there but I think turgo said another idea they they want to continue
You know these Belgian Riders they go to the end but the young lad was like I think benzo will think being in one of the local teams that he’ll be sent in a break a while at least one more occasion in this particular race the leopard t-o-g-t Pro cycling team
Development team from Luxembourg you know X start to show themselves and look just behind legal Trek our pencil continues in the end and it’s Vito Brad who’s the man who’s decided to leave a gap look behind from Turtles disgusted that the fellow Belgium wouldn’t want to continue in the break with him Brian
Now what’s Wenzel do here he gives him a ton oh I have to do this no I thought we shook hands that we’re going to get caught and that was the end of the Breakaway but you’re forcing me to do another turn or maybe the Sports Direct on the radio
Said hang on we don’t we don’t give up on a breakaway they’ve invited us here we ride till we get caught just put putting on the washing machine at the moment Rob on the Top Spin setting yet is it but it’s certainly starting to ramp up 15 seconds
As hard as being spun out the center they’ll be spat out down the sides although this must start the move we’ve got Road furniture and roundabouts to add into the mixed natural once we’re on our way back into the capital hip that’s where we started today at the noi monster Abbey
12 and a half kilometers from the conclusion of the opening day of the skoda tour in Luxembourg it’s the Breakaway with two of the original four Riders left but the adventure is almost at an end Matt svenzel Leonard turgles two Riders about to be swallowed up by a chasing Peloton we’re approaching the final categorized climb of the day that’s the steppelder and after that we’re on our way to the kyoc bag to finish this stage the break of the day is done it is time to go
Racing Brian Smith yep NYX coming up we’ve kind of mentioned them but we haven’t seen them um I know they’re riding in red uh the the Tour de France kit from this year they’re rather proud of it and why not so they’ve got uh tobaris Johansson who finished well in the tour
Of Britain um I think this is another kind of stage race that you’ll be kind of eyeing up as well uh the young man at 1 to 11 here a couple of years ago but lot of Destiny as well and the Reds but with the blue coming up towards the
Front as well but this will be a nice shot who’s at the brothers riding for Uno X the johannesan and cool tits as well and away from rural Luxembourg back into what is a fairly Cosmopolitan small City to cap it up It’s Andre Amador time man from Costa Rica driving things up here okay Sam stick that to lend a hand as well there’s no cons cience breaks up a little bit two and a half K’s longest climb maximum 12.7 six and a half percent average right
Yeah I think their job was to to Ride Hard into the bottom of the climb but a few the Riders thought no I’m not riding that hard Amador goes back and then start gets the Peloton on the wheel and said you’re supposed to feel it so I think one Rider’s just something
Happened in the middle of the pellet in there but I think Amador laid in there but um no one else followed so the gaps opened so he had to go back and do it all again well keep your own cooker here who has Richard karapas on his wheel
Remember this tops out with nine kilometers to go so already just under two kilometers to the top it’s a very quick descent after that and as soon as they’re done descending there’s no flat brine it declined to the finish on the kickback yeah it’s on no and um make
Awards is up there second place caterpies at the front um I think a lot the greatest we’re kind of talking about few Riders being distanced in the back already so Mark Hershey in the white in the left-hand side chicone up there for a little tracking the red helmet but
And nobody’s deciding to take her on but I thought by the looks of things that EF education easy post and Ikea samsik with the way they kind of rode into the bottom of the climb I thought right they’re obviously trying to look after their teammates and you know we’re going
To see a launch but the looks of things nothing’s happening at the front there his teammate Healy was not too far behind as well they said that Felix gal has moved up remember now taught of past stage went up sits three wheels from the front
Is the man at the front for Albus into kernick in the blue jersey and as we look at it now four now one big stalemate yeah for the moment um and potentially you know the I think it was a case of EF education easy post it was a case of
Maybe positioning for catapults but which is in position is he going to go on the attack we’ll have to wait and see but like you see a bit of a kind of stalemate nobody wanted to take it on Michael Woods on the right hand side as well for Israel Premier Tech Van Wilder
Foreign nope they’re really kind of wanted to go in the attack moving up as well you know Connor’s never far from the front and now we have a move Flanders balwaz tried to take advantage of this stalemate try to steal a March an Israel Premier Tech trying to join them
There’s like a camel burner a different day for Flanders a rider that um slowly come to farm over the last few weeks some in the tour of Britain he rode well there so like you say taking advantage there was nobody doing anything so why not but unfortunately Michael Woods is there in
Torn I don’t think anybody will want him to go still just less than a kilometer to the top now with the big maximum gradient swell into the double digits not a consistent client know this a couple of ramps in it was looks around sees that again and of
Course he’ll ride here yeah I think that’s what he did he looked around and thought what I’ve got a gap and uh christwick is the ride at the front of the Peloton what’s his World Tour de France stage winner this year remember that wonderful return to the pueda Dom wasn’t it
Canada Day for a second year running last time out Michael Woods this year that wonderful moment over in Canada in the world trade to a race is where we saw all three Canadian Tour de France stage winners on the same stage because their Sports director Steve Bauer is there as well
But Wood’s here not being allowed too much rope carshakers you mentioned the man is just controlling things behind certainly not yet as aggressive as we might have forecasted it to have been no I thought I think I said fireworks and definitely not fireworks now um I thought there would have been a
Little bit more but it’s really really conservative and Christ we consider letting things go he just tapping out a rhythm possibly the same Paces they’re doing in front and I really do think that maker Woods is in two Mains whether to go all in for this or whether they’re
Gonna sit back a little bit and I think it’s the the latter is not going all in um they obviously have a plan for one or two Riders I think he was a little bit surprised he got a gap but why not push on and force the hand of the others but
I really do think that you know they’ll be thinking of maybe someone else within their team for today there’s some breaking news in good news for natal Volk who can return home from hospital today in a sporting sense that I’m afraid it’s not great use he has
Been told that he must stop his professional career of course we’ll talk more about that tomorrow but very very good and uh sending all our love and best to nativa Hoy donku thankfully he’s out of hospital and is on his way home yes and at the Backwoods who looks fine it’s
Just gonna Freewheel here of course if he sees this Gap and he gets towards the bottom of the final climb he’ll enjoy it is still not a bit of road to do before they get there no yeah he doesn’t want to take too much of an advantage they
They have clearly got another plan for for someone else because normally Michael Woods would be you know raiding raiding a little bit more aggressively and you know doing a longer pull but he’s just holding by just like pretty much much of the Peloton Patrick Gambier here at the back
Alongside him Alexander another Rider trying to jump across now didn’t happen on the final classified climb but we still have the kirkberg to go and this looks like it might well be Craig mulberger from movie stars and Australian Champions Jersey I think it is yeah it’s gonna add some extra fire upon the
Finish you would say perfect for mutabaga isn’t it yeah I think you know this claim I think you know he looked as if he’s got really good good Farm in Canada so have a couple of options you know put Mel burger here so oh looked around and lost your glasses
It’s Michael Woods glasses he still sits here in third wheel and now the two teams have worked longer than anybody else all day Israel Premier Tech and multistar have riders in this front group remember sudel quickstep has spent most of the second half of the stage working hard too they still have a
La Felipe and it’s they now are in the chase six seconds with seven kilometers to go remember the last one and a bit kilometers are uphill to the line right yeah they are um in a long drag up towards the finishing line so we’ll see um it’s a really good idea
Running towards the Finish you can’t still believe or 6.6 to go you know especially beforehand normally when it’s a bit cagey beforehand we’re seeing our fireworks in the end but everybody really leaving this one late it’s been a beautiful day in Luxembourg haven’t yet had the fireworks we
Expected but this is about to come back together I think or it was until there was that little bit of hesitation at the front of the Peloton again another kilometer tick Spike and they’re gonna go by very quickly until there’s just under two to go it’s all downhill till there Big White Road no rope plenty of space plenty of room for movement and everybody’s just thinking this last claim is is hard enough one big effort from sudar quickstep and maznada to close things down and it was almost one big problem there swimming pool weather today but they’re all watching the race Five kilometers remaining on this opening stage in Luxembourg on the streets now of the country’s capital it’s where we started today I put new monster Abby and we’re going to finish on the kirkpeg with one of the strongest riders in the race one of the stronger Riders this season
I guess Samsung now moving up not a team we’ve spent most of the day talking about not a team with their strongest lineups likes a finish like this coffee is moving on the right side and they’re red and white it’s been cagey it’s been conservative certainly for the parkour today
But how’s it going to finish on the opening day Azure does our moving several other Riders up now all of their six odd Grand Tour stage winners two of them this season karapas and Healy moved in there as well for EF education easy posts have to boot
Both be two of the big favorites canapas in particular he’s another man who loves a finish like this this is Ian call now for lotto Destiny on his wheel Victor cabinets the other problem here is just to get get in good position and keeping good position and these kind of big open
Roads fast roads it’s always that very difficult and that’s where you need your teammates to kind of look after you sir and Crow is about to be put into position for Albertina Clinic as well you can see Valentine Madras the French Champion moving up on the left-hand side
He of course won this stage last year he started the day with David Gordo and Tebow Pino alongside him they have both failed to finish both said to be not feeling great here we go left turn and around a kilometer and a half now until the start of the kirkberg and the final
Climb up to the finish line today to move to the front EF education easy post getting another man awards at the front here looks like Hutch Road starts to gently go uphill but it’ll rise sharper to the line soon here she’s never too far away and he’s a man to keep your eye on the Swiss Champion for UAE Emirates an excellent race last year winning stages of course one by one they’ll do their turns and
Start the peel off it’s been a hard day of work for Israel Premier Tech they’ve really given everything today and now it’s all left hand side though an opportunity for Felix Scout and we know he likes it uphill he’s stolen the march here Brian yeah he
Has he has certainly has you know big motivation home to her and you know looking good for the moment but I think 2.5 kilometers ago a little bit too early there’s still a lot of riders on here just sitting and waiting I think it’s remaining patient now
It’s okay making these efforts but very difficult to keep this going with the chasing penalty Cal then continue to try and spin away it’s his style isn’t it what a stage when that was towards the end of the Tour de France let’s not forget he’s had the year of his dreams
Excellent in the Alps superb and swiss and he did what he did in the tour I should as hell with one of the stronger teams here on paper O’Connor this man and bonamor a who waits in the Peloton with his teammates now RKO will try and close this it’s a big effort and this is going to cause some pain in the legs of those trying to follow here Brian definitely yeah but he closes the Gap doesn’t he
Victor camp and that’s just sitting in the wheel in third place Hershey in a very good place at the moment there’s a few people just sitting and waiting for this kind of last acceleration And a gap opens now then so now Quick Step decided I have to close this UA you’re gonna take the bait as well and a pass is there to fall in about 10th wheel this now is Victor campenartz trying to violently shake the tree and see what Falls
And look at the power output there everyone else able to follow that and keep your eye for Wilder there looking strong in third wheel yeah Carrabba’s also they’re the Ecuadorian Champion sword and crowd now yep and now what kind of pass makes his move Richard passes away trying to build
Up to the gelati lombardier remember this is a team that’s got options here because Ben here he’s following behind as well decides that karapas is dangerous enough that he will follow him and there is peace yet again but for now that is until karap has stopped to try and put
The pace on the pedals again and another Gap starts to open up into the final kilometer now it’s karapas and from Wilder and now UAE closed the gap O’Connor’s not far away for azurita Mobby star Riders moving up is there any yellow last year’s winner on this stage you can
See French champion in about 20th position race director Schleck said he expected no more than 20 Riders to the finish here we’ve got many more now here’s O’Connor as we see Bernat suddenly appearing at the front Woods is there as well on the right you can see only see he
Likes these sort of finishes still in the mix waiting for mavi Star he was Brian Smith’s pick 500 meters to go Corbin strong not far away as well oh no X now take it up at the front final turn on the left-hand side final few meters and this is all that’s left
To spread it up for the win it’s an opportunity to try and Lead it up keep your arms strong kick your eye to Auto leases they come to the line it Israel Premier Tech with strong gonna go through it is there can he come around he’ll certainly try he’s in the center
Now Alexander is there Alex but he’s not gonna hit it it’s strong who is the strongest have worked all day long get their award almost four hours of toil and suffering they take the stage win and the early lead in the skoda tour of Luxembourg Kyle was there
But it was strong who did the business yeah it’s not often that you get you know as soon as we came on air he had movie star and Israel primate right on the front and they get first and second it was clear on the run in from Michael
Woods that you know that was a plan they didn’t want to kind of spoil that that was their man for today um and we can kind of Julie picked them out but strong there from Southern Crown uh in the end but I think um the race director Andy
Schleich was thinking of you know this would be a little bit harder okay it could have been it could have been a slight group of about 20 but there was a lot left in the end it was just a kind of cage you run in towards that finish
Uh some some nice attacks karapas deciding that um you know he was trying to go for this goal but in the end it came down to our Sprints and uh Corbin strong toothpaste one on from the front I have to say that southern crowd made hard work of that coming down you know
He pretty much went the longest way Adam baru was on the wheel but just couldn’t come past and had to settle for um a third place so came very close there Edge Corbin strong of Israel Premier Tech and New Zealand who takes the opening stage
It is just his second career win at this level having taken the stage of the tour of Britain last year and the 23 year old from invercargill arrives in Continental Europe and in this company you have to say it’s his biggest career win you have to say that um he won similar
Time of the year last year in the Tour de Britain at glenshi and it was another kind of long kind of uphill kind of slow head when finishing he was strong enough to win it um but that wasn’t a fast Sprint in the end but you know it’s just
Her the something left in the legs I thought something would have happened in the uh penultimate claim but that wasn’t the case everybody was clearly waiting for this final claim stage one delivers its verdict the winner is Corbin strong an Israel Premier Tech taking the reward for all of the day’s hard work
Podium time and the great thing about winning the opening stage it will be leaders jersey time for corbinstrom there’s that spread again and when he looks back at the Riders he’s beaten here Tour de France stage winners she going up the front there said our quick set not getting reward for that
Hard work in the end a much bigger group than the organizers were expecting they’re conservatively ridden last couple of climbs but brilliantly held together for Corbin strong so we’ve got our first winner our first leader We expect it to be for many more fast men tomorrow and mama the longest stage of the race at almost 200 kilometers should be one for the sprinters Corbin strong though on a small selective course today has really done the business again you can see that spent the right inside Brian you made
Some allusion to it that certain Crow is informed but maybe just made the decision to make things a little bit harder for himself that yes and what Sprints that’s what you do at the time having to win where aramburu had had been um then it could have been a different
Story and we did go around a long way about traffic in front of them but it’s all about making these kind of small efforts to get in the right position Corbin strong wins the opening stage of the skoda tour of Luxembourg beating sirunkao and Alexi the former overall winner of this
Race in fourth and fifth with plumbers chikone Kirsch masnara and Van Wilder in the top ten The first sorting out there but no big differences and I guess the the positive side of a conservative end to the race Brian it means that it’s a very open book as we go from tomorrow we expect to be one for the sprinters to the queen
Stage on when on uh Wednesday it’s not on Monday is it today once on Friday I’ll get there eventually yeah I think an important one is it’s always a bit of a decision to make what do you want to do before the time trial because that could shape the general
Classification if you don’t have a good time travel then you want to make use of the the queen stage um so I think the way it looks um it’s gonna it’ll be finally balanced because there was a few people like karapas who would want to take time on
Friday because he doesn’t have a good time trial and maybe give him some options for the final day so yeah today tomorrow down to the kind of Punchy Sprinter types and then Friday Saturday Sunday it will be at the GC which I think it will still be pretty close and
Sunday and we could see a very entertaining final few laps here is that last kilometer again I didn’t buy note you can see Omen behind in about 10 wheels behind him as well he’s not really leading anybody I think what he wanted to do is be into that
Corner see they’re all kind of setting up here this is where sir and Corral possibly made the mistake not a good position you see him there good around the corner there so very short kind of finishing straight Charming comes out opens up but Alicia there copperstrom pretty much perfect leader I don’t think
He just had the legs there but sir and crowd coming on the outside learned a long way out of position in that final corner and I think paid for it at the end but I think Corbin strong got it completely right and it was clear that they were they’d applying up the sleeve
Um because maker woods and a penultimate claim why is it really going to go and fill out all right Luxembourg it’s capital city and here’s the winner on the first stage they choose X the tracks back to win this first stage of two of Luxembourg yeah
It’s a really nice feeling for me uh we got a really strong team here and uh they worked perfectly well for me all day and it was uh really cool to pay them off with this Victory I think uh yeah I’ve been in good shape all year
But I haven’t quite uh finished off with uh with the victory yet this year so it’s really nice to to get a victory here in Luxembourg nice so um I mean there has been a lot of big names on the start list how is it for you as a quite
A young Rider to actually win the first stage against all those big names out there yeah it’s a it’s a really cool feeling actually today um I had a good race last weekend in Quebec and I I really felt uh that in the in the palace
On today actually had a bunch of riders that have uh never had come up talk to me uh say good ride last weekend and stuff like that so it’s uh yeah it’s really cool to carry on with this momentum and uh get a victory today with
Such a deep field and here in Luxembourg so is it also an ambition of your team for the next stages to actually go for the GC or do you have more like stage wins uh I think yeah yeah we really came here to win races so yeah it’s just it’s
Cool to start off the week this way but um yeah we got like I did a really strong team here I think any one of their guys in our team uh probably by me could uh win the GC uh we’re not the strongest time traveling team but really
Strong uh Punchy climbing team so we’re looking forward to the rest of the stages here in Luxembourg well excited to see what you’re going to do on the next stage then I wish you good of luck thank you very much cheers naturally delighted then the winner and sharing their ambition for the whole
Week and when you look down they’ve got somebody for every stage almost they definitely have like you just heard from an interview there not the best time trialis so they have to take their opportunities where they came unless it was their first opportunity tomorrow could be a little bit different
Um but you think that Corbin strong would be there can I best bet for that one again but you know we’ve got other sprinters in this race that will be eyeing up tomorrow and the early General clactonin looks like this sir and Crowell in second place at four seconds Alex in
Third at six the rest at 10 seconds Corbin strong is the early leader and first wearer of the yellow Jersey and kiwi cycling and Rule Health isn’t it of course long been strong on the track long had one or two Riders here and there but they’re with a black spoke
Team now bringing an army of riders as well of course you’ve got the likes of what bewley and Bennett have done on the World to Fisher black is now up there of course and of course on the women’s side need Fischer black as well you’ve got Corbin strong here Lawrence pithy riding there
Are some fantastic Young Riders about I wish I’ve had good writers new zealands have raced against them pretty much most of my career from Commonwealth Games level all the way up and I think it’s all about the development and it’s the same with Australians it’s a very long way to come to Europe
Um for a lot of these countries and New Zealand Australia very far away but I think it’s the the development they have in the racing you know the track racing and road racing and things like that it’s if it’s healthier there then you know they can they can progress into two other teams Foreign Thanks for joining Brian Smith and me Rob hatch Corbin strong the winner on the opening date we’ll be back and we’re on the Telly as well tomorrow on Euro sport on Discovery plus and on GCM plus if you miss anything this week another All European championships are going on at the same
Time make sure you watch on repeats on catch up on demand on Discovery plus and GCM plus we’ll see you for the second stage keep your eye on the time schedules as well because no stage starts at the same time we’re on at the much earlier time around lunchtime in
Central Europe and in UK Island tomorrow we will see you then goodbye Thank you Republicans very good um Right now [Applause] thank you [Applause] [Applause] foreign foreign foreign Straight up the common storm [Applause] S foreign Thank you very much thank you Thank you thank you that I’m the leader of skoda 2017 Foreign Thank you very much Corbin [Applause] ation of the national leaders Leader in the point classification coming from [Applause] thank you thank you very much [Applause] [Applause] Thank you the max Spencer adapters available messy months again the energy The coming storm outside [Applause] on the Mario Bro through the chaos Messi thank you on the last recording of the volume because that is [Applause] [Applause] foreign So Corbin congratulations for the win on the first stage of tour of Luxembourg did you expect to win today was it a goal of yours yeah it was a it was a goal of mine support this finishing climb was a really nice finish for me and uh yeah about looking back on the
Previous years it’s been uh guys like Joe Almeda and Valentine Medway so so not fast sprinters that have won up here so I knew it was going to be a tough goal and one I really had to suffer for so yeah it’s a really nice feeling to to
Pull it off today nice uh now we’re sitting here in your yellow Jersey uh how does it feel to go on the start tomorrow as the leader of the race yeah it’s a it’s a really cool feeling actually the team rode really well today and uh yeah we’ve got a strong team here
And unfortunately had to do withdrawal for a bit of illness so um yeah we’re all gonna have to step up and uh ride for our leaders for the rest of the week because we have a really strong team here and then a chance to win every stage with a different Rider so yeah
We’re really looking forward to the next stages so the GC will definitely be a goal of yours for the for this stage race I think stage three has got some pretty challenging climbs and we’ve got some uh really good guys for that with Mike and Dylan and also Chris and Hugo
Can climb really well as well so uh yeah I think as well off the time travel it’s uh not my specialty so yeah I’ll look forward to more stage two and stage five and and then uh help my uh have the bitter climbers of my team and the bit
Of time journalists for the rest of the week so I wish you lots of luck and fast legs for the rest of the race thank you very much cheers thank you