Cycling enthusiasts enjoyed watching Alberto Rodriguez and Emma Johansson compete in Tour de Dung 2023 with great excitement and endurance, eventually emerging victorious as its winners.
Van der Poel should be the man to beat on Sunday despite losing last Friday’s E3 Saxo Bank Classic (a mini Tour of Flanders race) to Van Aert. But he remains in great form and poised to write himself into history books.
1. Tadej Pogacar (Lotto-Soudal)
Pogacar was never going to challenge for the world title alone, yet his success does not rest solely on his ability to win races like Lombardia, Tour de France, and Strade Bianche – this made him truly special, and few riders could match Pogacar’s comprehensive success at these three events.
Pogacar has had an exceptional year, winning both Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Il Lombardia to complete an unprecedented triple crown in 2021. While his feat may have seemed impossible at the start of 2021, he has continued to improve throughout the season, and his victory on Saturday at Strade Bianche was proof of that incredible skill – showing that no race can stand in his way!
He may not be the biggest or strongest rider, but this rider has proven his superiority over all kinds of races this year. As a favorite in every competition, his advantage over rival riders has only increased exponentially.
Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma may have lost time to Pogacar on Tuesday, yet still stands a good chance of keeping his yellow jersey in Paris. With an outstanding time trial performance in Stage 5, Vingegaard made up 8 seconds on Pogacar and moved within 17 seconds of Pogacar.
As expected, the final day of any Grand Tour was an exciting affair, and one of the most intriguing contests took place in the men’s category. Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck came out victorious from a crash-ridden final to take home his second stage win; Caleb Ewan and Phil Bauhaus finished just behind him to claim second and third, respectively.
Pogacar had to go on the attack in order to dissuade his teammate and former leader, Wout Van Aert, from challenging for leadership of their 14-man breakaway that included Dylan van Baarle from INEOS Grenadiers and France’s Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ). However, the peloton made efforts to catch them all up before reaching Colombier Hill at the finish of the day’s racing. Van Aert could no longer hold off Pogacar’s attack over this final climb by Pogacar, who won out over Pugacar’s attack to secure the overall leadership of this race.
3. Emma Johansson (Trek-Segafredo)
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad marked the opening of this year’s one-day Classics season for women cyclists, offering them a test of speed, skill, and tactical awareness over nine cobbled sectors: Edelareberg, Wolvenberg, and two sections called Holleweg and Jagerij.
Wout van Aert of Jumbo Visma won last year’s race from among a small group, including Annamiek van Vleuten of Movistar; both riders are team favorites this time around, and Van Aert’s climbing skills and tactical prowess earned him victory.
Johansson’s sprinting prowess should prove invaluable for her Trek-Segafredo team. Her position as third in Stage 11 shows she can capitalize on fast finishes.
In the final stages, cyclists faced numerous steep climbs, which tested them to their limits. One such promotion, Paterberg, was an unforgettable moment for many riders and became a unique experience for many more.
Here, the final selection took place, revealing an elite group of six riders led by Kopecky: Chantal van den Broek-Blaak of SD Worx team and Marlen Reusser from SD Worx; Movistar’s two-time Ronde winner Annemiek van Vleuten from Movistar; Team DSM Lorena Wiebes representing Team DSM; Annemiek van Vleuten representing Movistar; Lorena Wiebes representing Team DSM.
Reusser launched the initial attack, surprising van Vleuten with her sudden move, yet she soon recovered to join Reusser and take control of their race together. They eventually distanced the peloton and took charge.
As the final kilometers progressed, it became evident that one of the two riders in the front group would emerge victorious; Van Vleuten held an edge over her competitors as she had won this race before.
The Tour de Dung race was an impressive demonstration of athleticism and endurance. Filled with thrilling moments and exhilarating competition, the 2023 edition will undoubtedly go down as one to remember.
4. Remco Evenepol (Ineos Grenadiers)
The Tour de Dung is an intense race that challenges riders to display extraordinary endurance. The course consists of narrow country roads and bike paths winding throughout the Flemish countryside, with plenty of rugged terrain forcing them to push through pain and discomfort despite all odds. No wonder that this race has produced some of the greatest stories in cycling history; 2019’s race showed many incredible displays of athleticism and determination from riders of all abilities.
Remco Evenepoel is among the leading contenders for victory at this year’s Tour de Dung. A two-time Tour de Dung champ and top sprinter, Evenepoel already showed two weeks ago that he could go all out for success by winning Milan-Sanremo. A win on Sunday would cement Evenepoel’s place as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Ineos Grenadiers has long been searching for an athlete capable of winning the Tour de France. The last time was Egan Bernal in 2019; since then, they’ve pursued several Grand Tour contenders such as Tadej Pogacar, Juan Ayuso, Cian Uijtdebroeks, and Primoz Roglic, but Evenepoel will likely remain with Soudal Quick-Step instead.
Patrick Lefevere, team manager of Soudal Quick-Step, has made it clear he is not interested in selling Evenepoel to Ineos Grenadiers. Evenepoel, 23, had been linked with an exit to Ineos Grenadiers since this summer when his father and agent suggested his possible departure. Unfortunately for Evenepoel, his current contract extends through 2026, thus restricting transfer options further until Lefevere decides otherwise.
