photo credits @ UCI
Paris-Roubaix was struck by tragedy on Sunday when Belgian rider Michael Goolaerts died in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during the race.
Goolaerts, 23, and a rider in his fourth year with the UCI Professional Continental Team Veranda’s Willems-Crelan, crashed around 100 kilometers from the finish line.
Goolaerts was airlifted to Lille hospital after receiving cardio-respiratory arrest treatment on the side of the road but despite medical efforts to save him, he died later the same evening.
Meanwhile, Peter Sagan (BORA-hansgrohe) strengthened his lead in the UCI WorldTour when he became the first reigning UCI World Champion in 37 years to win Paris-Roubaix, one of cycling’s five Monument Classics.
Sagan now leads the UCI WorldTour with 1,626 points ahead of Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors), who moves into second with 1,297 points whilst Alejandro Valverde (Team Movistar) drops to third, with 1,079. In the teams ranking, Quick-Step Floors remain the overall leaders.
Victory in the Itzulia Basque Country for Primoz Roglic has secured Lotto NL-Jumbo their tenth win of the season and the team’s first overall placing in a UCI WorldTour stage race since the Amgen Tour of California in 2017.
The winner of two stages in the Itzulia Basque Country last year, the Slovenian once again showed impressive consistency. Roglic garnered three second places on stages as well as victory in the stage four time trial. Despite crashing heavily early on the last and toughest stage, Roglic nonetheless crossed the final finish line in Arrate in ninth place with his GC lead intact. Second overall was Mikel Landa (Movistar Team) and third Ion Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida).
Amstel Gold Race (NED) Sunday April 15th
France’s Benjamin Thomas is only 22 years old and in his first year with a UCI WorldTeam, Groupama-FDJ, but he has already amassed a rich palmares… on the track. Thomas is a former double UCI World Champion in the Omnium and Madison, a four-time gold medallist in the European Track Championships and a multiple medallist in the UCI Track Cycling World Cup series. A professional since 2015, Thomas secured his first two road wins in 2017: a stage of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque, and the opening stage of the Tour de Wallonie. Joining the UCI WorldTour this season could well see the young Frenchman raise the bar even higher.
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