The Official Website of the UCI Pro Series Stage Race, held in the Alps between Italy and Austria, through Tirol, Südtirol and Trentino (April 18-22, 2022)
Another good racing day, even so it was much more stereotyped than yesterday.
A large breakaway (about 15 riders, which means only about 60 riders were left in the ‘peloton’…) left soon after the start, which included Seixas (🇫🇷 Decathlon) among others. As there was no rider better placed than him in GC, the peloton let go ; Ineos took its reins, but only to make a false pace.
Therefore, at the foot of the Bamberg at 40 km from the line, the breakaway benefited from a gap over 5 minutes. Seixas🇫🇷 (who was bearing the marks of a fall on his left leg) would pull the group in the climb, while his teammate Prodhomme🇫🇷 remained hidden.
In the bunch, Storer🇦🇺’s Tudors vigorously accelerated from the start of the climb, making all leaders and Ineos riders but the Tour leader Arensman🇳🇱 burst. After 1 km, only remained Storer🇦🇺 behind one of his teammates and before Arensman🇳🇱 who was crackling without cracking. 500 m farther, Storer🇦🇺 attacked and Arensman🇳🇱 tried to follow him but failed. Each was now isolated.
Except that Storer🇦🇺 wasn’t truly isolated : he had cleverly placed a teammate inside the breakaway, Eriksson🇸🇪, who would wait for him and allow him to ride in a wheel most of the downhill and the 10 miles of flat valley that came after; unlike Arensman🇳🇱, normally better in this exercise but who hadn’t put anyone ahead in the breakaway and thus was alone against the wind.
In the horrible climb to Stonach, within the breakaway, Seixas🇫🇷 attacked without any reaction from the others. Then, it was Prodhomme🇫🇷’s turn to leave the group, and he caught up with Seixas🇫🇷 with an astonishing ease. They would ride the downhill together, as well as the 5 km of valley until the finish ligne, maintaining a good pace because behind them Herzog (🇩🇪 Bora) was only 15 seconds behind at the summit – Seixas🇫🇷 probably had crumbled a bit on the top section of the climb. Seixas🇫🇷 and Prodhomme🇫🇷 agreed that the stage victory would go to the oldest one who had never won as a professional.
Behind, Storer🇦🇺 alone again in the climb, was gently keeping on increasing his advance on leaders, ensuring his GC victory.
Finlay Pickering (🇬🇧 Bahrein) wins Mountain classification. He perfectly optimised his Tour so that he went to fetch points everyday, except yesterday when it was a good idea not to kill oneself trying to get them from the breakaway as the points were all in the final part of that crazy stage.
Seixas🇫🇷 finishes only 12th in GC and without a stage victory, but his regularity (twice 2nd, once 3rd, once 6th) and his winning of today’s last intermediary sprint allow him to win the Points classification.
The gaps on the GC podium are without appeal: Storer (🇦🇺 Tudor) relegated Arensman (🇳🇱 Ineos) at 1’30’’ and Gee (🇨🇦 IPT) at 4’. Then Ciccone (🇮🇹 Lidl-trek) – Gall (🇦🇹 D4) – Caruso (🇮🇹 Bahreïn) are between 5’10’’ and 5’30’’ away.
On the French side, Bardet (🇫🇷 Picnic) finishes only 10th, having been dropped somewhere in the final part (last climb, downhill, flat section? we didn’t see it) and finishing in a group 40 seconds behind the main group of leaders, which included his teammate Poole (🇬🇧 Picnic) who finally ranked 7th in GC. Not wonderful. Luckily there was the great performance of the two Decathlon in the breakaway today, and for that to happen, it was also lucky that no one in the peloton had any interest in reeling in the breakaway at all, for Storer🇦🇺 rode 4 minutes faster than them once he left the peloton in the last 40 km!
Cepeda (🇨🇴 EF) seems to have popped even more than Bardet🇫🇷, finishing another 1’30’’ farther, which throws him back to the tail end of those who could still pretend to a small placing in GC.
The first (non-pro) Conti rider in GC is Stüssi (🇨🇭 Vorarlberg) at the 25th place, I reckon.
An axis of potential disappointment with all young riders is that we expect them to progress over the years. Yet in 2025, everything is pretty set at young age.
their abilities are set by how big an ‘engine’ they got at the genes lottery, and all this has been already measured, all parameters are known;
strength was something you used to keep building for a number of years, as your body turned into a 100% adult man body, but now it is pretty useless given the gear ratios and cadence used, only final power output is important, no matter the slope;
experience: learning to listen to one’s body is almost useless now, almost everything is controlled by sensors and data;
experience: learning to feel the race was also replaced by earpieces and constant flows of information to the car and from the car;
technique: perhaps a bit of potential improvements for TT, but for the rest, they generally have learned most already, as well as how to evolve inside a peloton;
the only thing that young riders still lack is endurance, and that can be gained rather easily/quickly. There’s a risk of losing explosive strength in the process, but the risk is tiny, and anyway nobody wants to be limited to short races. 😀
I would say that after 20 years old, there won’t be many changes, these days. But in the case of Seixas who is only 18, even if I am right, that leaves around 2 years of potential progress!
Back in the “good” old days, young riders also needed a year or two of EPO to catch up to the peloton.
Anyway, I agree with some of your points, but I still think technique and experience with racing and races is super important. Unless you’re a phenomenon, you won’t win races unless you race smart.
Anyway, I agree with some of your points, but I still think technique and experience with racing and races is super important. Unless you’re a phenomenon, you won’t win races unless you race smart.
Yes, but most of the problematic cases we have seen in the last 5-10 years in that respect, were riders who came from other sports or from Zwift. Those who have been through the hectic races and pelotons of younger age categories and regional competitions generally adapt easily.
Concerning phenomenons, they already bar almost all major WT races 😃. This year, that will leave the Tour of Switzerland and the San-Sebastian classic; probably the Tour of Romandie too if Evenepoel keeps on sulking (but among those 3, 2 will probably fall in the hands of a phenomenon’s lieutenant anyway 😃).
So that leaves most minor WT, and most .Pro races (but not all of them). Oh, and stages on major WT stages races, which are probably even easier; that is, when the Pog doesn’t want them too…
Another good racing day, even so it was much more stereotyped than yesterday.
A large breakaway (about 15 riders, which means only about 60 riders were left in the ‘peloton’…) left soon after the start, which included Seixas (🇫🇷 Decathlon) among others. As there was no rider better placed than him in GC, the peloton let go ; Ineos took its reins, but only to make a false pace.
Therefore, at the foot of the Bamberg at 40 km from the line, the breakaway benefited from a gap over 5 minutes. Seixas🇫🇷 (who was bearing the marks of a fall on his left leg) would pull the group in the climb, while his teammate Prodhomme🇫🇷 remained hidden.
In the bunch, Storer🇦🇺’s Tudors vigorously accelerated from the start of the climb, making all leaders and Ineos riders but the Tour leader Arensman🇳🇱 burst. After 1 km, only remained Storer🇦🇺 behind one of his teammates and before Arensman🇳🇱 who was crackling without cracking. 500 m farther, Storer🇦🇺 attacked and Arensman🇳🇱 tried to follow him but failed. Each was now isolated.
Except that Storer🇦🇺 wasn’t truly isolated : he had cleverly placed a teammate inside the breakaway, Eriksson🇸🇪, who would wait for him and allow him to ride in a wheel most of the downhill and the 10 miles of flat valley that came after; unlike Arensman🇳🇱, normally better in this exercise but who hadn’t put anyone ahead in the breakaway and thus was alone against the wind.
In the horrible climb to Stonach, within the breakaway, Seixas🇫🇷 attacked without any reaction from the others. Then, it was Prodhomme🇫🇷’s turn to leave the group, and he caught up with Seixas🇫🇷 with an astonishing ease. They would ride the downhill together, as well as the 5 km of valley until the finish ligne, maintaining a good pace because behind them Herzog (🇩🇪 Bora) was only 15 seconds behind at the summit – Seixas🇫🇷 probably had crumbled a bit on the top section of the climb. Seixas🇫🇷 and Prodhomme🇫🇷 agreed that the stage victory would go to the oldest one who had never won as a professional.
Behind, Storer🇦🇺 alone again in the climb, was gently keeping on increasing his advance on leaders, ensuring his GC victory.
Finlay Pickering (🇬🇧 Bahrein) wins Mountain classification. He perfectly optimised his Tour so that he went to fetch points everyday, except yesterday when it was a good idea not to kill oneself trying to get them from the breakaway as the points were all in the final part of that crazy stage.
Seixas🇫🇷 finishes only 12th in GC and without a stage victory, but his regularity (twice 2nd, once 3rd, once 6th) and his winning of today’s last intermediary sprint allow him to win the Points classification.
The gaps on the GC podium are without appeal: Storer (🇦🇺 Tudor) relegated Arensman (🇳🇱 Ineos) at 1’30’’ and Gee (🇨🇦 IPT) at 4’. Then Ciccone (🇮🇹 Lidl-trek) – Gall (🇦🇹 D4) – Caruso (🇮🇹 Bahreïn) are between 5’10’’ and 5’30’’ away.
On the French side, Bardet (🇫🇷 Picnic) finishes only 10th, having been dropped somewhere in the final part (last climb, downhill, flat section? we didn’t see it) and finishing in a group 40 seconds behind the main group of leaders, which included his teammate Poole (🇬🇧 Picnic) who finally ranked 7th in GC. Not wonderful. Luckily there was the great performance of the two Decathlon in the breakaway today, and for that to happen, it was also lucky that no one in the peloton had any interest in reeling in the breakaway at all, for Storer🇦🇺 rode 4 minutes faster than them once he left the peloton in the last 40 km!
Cepeda (🇨🇴 EF) seems to have popped even more than Bardet🇫🇷, finishing another 1’30’’ farther, which throws him back to the tail end of those who could still pretend to a small placing in GC.
The first (non-pro) Conti rider in GC is Stüssi (🇨🇭 Vorarlberg) at the 25th place, I reckon.
I’ve been very impressed with Seixas. Can’t wait for him to disappoint me! 😉
An axis of potential disappointment with all young riders is that we expect them to progress over the years. Yet in 2025, everything is pretty set at young age.
the only thing that young riders still lack is endurance, and that can be gained rather easily/quickly. There’s a risk of losing explosive strength in the process, but the risk is tiny, and anyway nobody wants to be limited to short races. 😀
I would say that after 20 years old, there won’t be many changes, these days. But in the case of Seixas who is only 18, even if I am right, that leaves around 2 years of potential progress!
Back in the “good” old days, young riders also needed a year or two of EPO to catch up to the peloton.
Anyway, I agree with some of your points, but I still think technique and experience with racing and races is super important. Unless you’re a phenomenon, you won’t win races unless you race smart.
Yes, but most of the problematic cases we have seen in the last 5-10 years in that respect, were riders who came from other sports or from Zwift. Those who have been through the hectic races and pelotons of younger age categories and regional competitions generally adapt easily.
Concerning phenomenons, they already bar almost all major WT races 😃. This year, that will leave the Tour of Switzerland and the San-Sebastian classic; probably the Tour of Romandie too if Evenepoel keeps on sulking (but among those 3, 2 will probably fall in the hands of a phenomenon’s lieutenant anyway 😃).
So that leaves most minor WT, and most .Pro races (but not all of them). Oh, and stages on major WT stages races, which are probably even easier; that is, when the Pog doesn’t want them too…