Road Bike Magazine

20/08/2024

🚴‍♀️✨ Thrilling Finale at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes! 🌟

Kasia Niewiadoma clinched the overall victory with sheer determination, overcoming a fierce challenge from Demi Vollering, who dominated the final stage atop Alpe d’Huez. 🏆🚵‍♀️

From Charlotte Kool’s stunning start to Cédrine Kerbaol’s solo win, this year’s race had it all.

Our full recap of the tour is live on our website 💨

The 2024 Tour de France Femmes delivered thrilling racing from start to finish, culminating in a dramatic finale!

18/08/2024

Wow Demi Vollering obliterated the field up the big climb, 50km from the finish!

Yellow Jersey Katarzyna Kasia Niewiadoma charging on the descent to avoid losing Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

Cerdine Kerbaeol descending at almost 100km!! Only 36 seconds off the lead.

Puck Pieterse in trouble. Roojackkers in virtual yellow needs to win the stage.

Game on, so exciting! - Ladies cycling is fantastic 🏁

Watch the sensational Le Tour de France Alpe d’Huez mountain finish live now on Supersport 210

18/08/2024

Wow Demi Vollering just obliterated the field up the big climb, 50km from the finish!

Yellow Jersey Katarzyna Kasia Niewiadoma charging on the descent to avoid losing Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

Cerdine Kerbaeol descending at almost 100km!! Only 36 seconds off the lead.

Puck Pieterse in trouble. Roojackkers in virtual yellow needs to win the stage.

Game on, so exciting! - Ladies cycling is fantastic 🏁

Watch the sensational Le Tour de France Alpe d'Huez mountain finish live now on Supersport 210

17/08/2024

We had a chance to chat with Kimberley Le Court, our gutsy Saffa Mauritian sprinter who's having an incredible season on the World Tour.

On the eve of the brutal stage 7 of Le Tour de France Femmes, Kim who was in awesome form, takes a pragmatic approach to a crash after her epic 4th and recovery from flu as she heads into the final weekend.

Stage 7 finally moves into the mountains after flat and rolling stages.

The runs from Champagnole to Le Grand-Bornand and covers more than 100 miles, including five categorized climbs.

Kasia Niewiadoma is now leading the GC with her top competitor Demi Vollering over a minute behind, so expect this stage to be packed with breakaway attempts and solo fliers.

Good luck Kim - we wish you the best over 166.4 km with 2,864m of elevation

🏁🇲🇺🇿🇦🌍

16/08/2024

🚴‍♀️ Drama at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes! After Demi Vollering's crash in Stage 5, Kasia Niewiadoma is now in yellow as the race heads into the mountains. Catch up on all the latest developments and what's next in our full website post! Link in bio!

15/08/2024

From breathtaking views to an unforgettable race, John’s experience at the 2023 Mauritius Cycle Tour was truly one for the books! 🚴‍♂️🌴

We’re gearing up for this year’s event on September 14th, but first, check out the full story on our website and see why we can't wait to go back!

Read more here: https://www.bikeruntri.co.za/post/reliving-the-mauritius-cycle-tour-2023-an-unforgettable-experience-and-looking-forward-to-2024

14/08/2024

🚴‍♀️ The 2024 Tour de France Femmes is off to an electrifying start! Demi Vollering has claimed the yellow jersey after a powerful time trial, and Charlotte Kool is dominating the sprints with two stage wins. As the race heads into the mountains, the battle for GC is about to get intense! 🟡⛰️

Read the full breakdown and what’s coming next on our blog—link in bio!

04/08/2024

Results are in for the athletes in the women’s road race:

Tiffany Keep DNF
Ashleigh Pasio finished 33rd

03/08/2024

Wishing Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and Tiffany Keep the best of luck in tomorrow’s Women’s Olympic Road Race! Ride strong and make us proud! 🚴‍♀️🇿🇦

02/08/2024

Best of luck to Ryan Gibbons as he takes on the Men’s Olympic Road Race tomorrow! We’re cheering for you all the way.

23/07/2024

The 2024 Tour de France was a rollercoaster of emotions and unforgettable moments! From Tadej Pogačar's dominant ride to his third yellow jersey victory to Biniam Girmay's historic green jersey win as the first African sprinter champion, and Richard Carapaz conquering the peaks as Ecuador's first polka dot jersey winner, this year had it all. Let's not forget Remco Evenepoel's stellar performance earning him the white jersey for best young rider. Relive the excitement with us at Road Bike Mag South Africa and celebrate these incredible athletes! 🚴‍♂️🌟

Read more: https://www.bikeruntri.co.za/post/tour-de-france-2024-highlights-and-historic-moments

21/07/2024

TDF Stage Twenty-One

So, who wants to go riding inland from Nice after watching yesterday’s stage? What a spectacular route that was. I can see why so many professional cyclists make their home in this region. Although, at the pace they rode yesterday, I don’t think many of the guys were having much fun. Poggi was definitely trying to let someone else win, but, as predicted, Soudal was setting up the attack by Evenepoel. He tried his best, but the result yesterday clearly underlined the finishing order of the top three, and he is too far behind going into today’s TT to change that now. I think the top three are in the correct order for this year’s race based on form and experience, and I am glad that tactics or bad luck didn’t influence the outcome.

Who would want to be a professional cyclist nowadays? If you don’t win, you get criticized. If you win too much, everyone says you’re greedy. Why should Poggi give away a stage victory when he is in a position to take it? More than anything, it is his team that benefits from that. Everything in the Tour carries prize money. Not only the overall results of each competition, but every KOM and Sprint Prime has money attached to each position. Winning a stage is worth 11,000 euros. All prizes won are pooled and divided amongst all staff and riders and paid as a bonus, over and above what they are paid as salaries. The exact method varies from team to team, but the basic principle is the same. It is accepted convention that the rider who actually wins the Tour doesn’t share in any of the prize money because he stands to benefit through endorsements, appearance fees, and personal sponsorships as a result of his elevated status. So, imagine being the guy who lugs eight heavy mattresses out of the truck and into a different hotel room every day for three weeks, sitting and watching the bloke you do it for soft-pedal into the finish and give away your money to another team just to improve his image in the eyes of the fans. When the leader of a team wins, his whole team wins, and they are more willing to do extra when they know they will be rewarded.

Today could be another eleven grand into the pot for UAE because this TT is tricky and favors Tadej over Remco. After a short, flat start, it climbs at around 6% for close to 7 km. That is a decent hill for a road race and very tricky for a time trial. After around 4 km of more traditional TT road, there is another short climb before a fairly technical descent. On a TT bike, that is going to be nerve-wracking. The last 5 km are what a specialist time-trialist would call a ‘proper TT route.’

We saw in the first TT that Remco won, he lost time on the moderately technical descent but gained time where his power and aerodynamic superiority counted. There is more of the former and less of the latter today. He clearly spends a lot of time on the TT bike, and I actually think he is technically better on it than he is on his road bike. But if this was the same situation as in the first TT, I would say that Pogacar is going to win today. The thing is, the situation is different. Poggi doesn’t want to throw away his Tour victory by over-cooking a corner to gain a second or two. I think that the other two on the podium are in the same frame of mind as well. Overall positions are sorted, and the only thing to fight for today is the stage win. Of the three, I think Remco values it more, so I am going to go with him to get the set of TT wins in this year’s race.

Although most are billing today’s clash as being between the three riders on the overall podium of the Tour, I think that we could see a specialist in contention. Someone further down the field, who may have been able to save their legs over the last few days and will be willing to take a few more risks. I’m not sure anyone could really take it easy over the last three days, but I’m leaning towards two Belgians on their country’s National Day: Wout van Aert would be my pick, but Tim Wellens will have a little extra motivation wearing the Belgian ‘Drie Kleur’ after claiming the TT title the week before the Tour started.

Maybe one more Belgian… Yves Lampaert may also have a crack if he is feeling good and motivated.

Oh wait… what about Campy??? Wouldn’t that be cool?

Wellens and Campanaerts start just after 16:00. Wout just after 17:00 and the ‘Big Three’ just after 18:30.

20/07/2024

TDF Stage Twenty

Barring disaster, that's it for this year’s Tour de France, at least as far as winning it goes. It seemed Visma agreed with me that Jorgenson and Kelderman were not up to the job of replacing Roglic and Kuss in the last two Tours, as far as setting up an attack for Vingegaard. So, they were sent up the road in the hopes that Jonas would join them later. However, I suspect the call was made during the stage that the Dane was also not up to the task, and they were then given the green light to have a go for the stage win. The emotional state in which Vingegaard arrived at the finish indicated more than just physical exhaustion. No doubt that was a big factor, but the additional feeling of having let down the team by not being able to play his planned part and the disappointment of finally letting go of the hopes that he could still win all seemed to crash down on him after the finish. There is no shame in coming up short when you have given everything.

I am very pleased with the way Evenepoel rode yesterday. Not only was he strong and definitely putting Jonas under pressure, but he also kept his head and didn’t start losing his temper when Jonas refused to take his turn in front. A year or two ago, he would have lost his temper. He is maturing as a racer while improving physically as a GC rider, which is very promising. The battle is still on for second place. I think if Remco can get his deficit to a minute or less today, it will be very interesting in the TT on Sunday. He does seem to be finishing the Tour in better shape than Vingegaard, and despite the more technically challenging route for Sunday, I expect him to be able to take a decent amount of time back.

So, on to the final road stage of this year’s Tour. Unless Visma or Soudal want to close things down for their GC leaders to have a crack at the stage, this is going to be one for the breakaway. I don’t think Soudal has the firepower to control a mountain stage like this, and Visma is more likely to send riders up the road as they did yesterday. So, it should be for the escap*es.

Despite the accumulated fatigue of the last three weeks, I expect this to be a frenetic stage. Only 133 km long with 4,600 m of vertical ascent and very little valley road, this should be a cracker. FDJ, Cofidis, Israel, Decathlon, and Movistar will be trying to get their whole teams in the move. I am also expecting Healy to have one last crack. Carapaz will probably want to be in the mix to secure the KOM jersey, although the only rider who can challenge him with the remaining points on offer is Poggi, and I don’t expect that he will bother. It is a pity Lenny Martinez has been so out of sorts this Tour because he would have been a definite contender today, having won the Mercan'Tour One Day Classic in May this year, finishing on the same climb as today, the Col de la Couillole. Let’s see if he can drag himself into the breakaway.

I am sure that Soudal will be cooking up something for today. The climbs are certainly to Evenepoel’s liking, but they will need to put Vingegaard under pressure before Remco attacks him. A good way to do that may be to send Landa up the road. This will provoke a chase from UAE to protect Almeida’s fourth place, which will work in Remco’s favor by making the pace hard. Landa may prefer to attack on the final climb, though, because he still has that fourth place on GC to play for, and he will need to not only take enough time on Almeida to pass him on GC today but also build some breathing room for the TT, where he will invariably lose time to the Portuguese champion. I think a lot will depend on how Vingegaard has recovered from the extreme effort of yesterday and the mental hammering he clearly took. Today could be a rough day for him.

The Tour is won, but the race is not over…

19/07/2024

TDF Stage Nineteen

How exciting was yesterday? The racing route was fantastic, and a strong group in the breakaway made things very entertaining as the attacks and counterattacks were launched on the penultimate climb. But come on, I defy anyone to be unhappy about the winner. Victor Campenaerts is such a likable, genuine character—super-strong, yet also funny and exceptionally relatable. This is the guy who asked a girl out on a date at the 2017 Giro d’Italia by writing the request on his undershirt for the TT stage. He flashed it at the start and as he crossed the line, receiving a fine from the UCI as a result (of course). He did get the date, but apparently, there was no chemistry.

On his social media, he states that he knows he is not the most talented cyclist but is prepared to work as hard as he possibly can to get the absolute maximum out of himself. Breaking the World Hour Record shows that he is able to focus and peak precisely, and that ability contributed to his Stage 18 victory. I watched interviews on Belgian sports sites in December where he specifically mentioned Stage 18 when asked if there were any stages in the 2024 Tour that he would target. He rec***ed the stage and prepared specifically for it. That alone would have put immense pressure on him yesterday. In situations like that, it is easy to try too hard on the big day or react too nervously to every move, much like Bart Lemmen did. Campenaerts was not only the best prepared but also used his experience to save his energy until it counted. He had so much riding on this stage, but he was still prepared to gamble and lose in order to win. Dutch cyclist of the '70s and '80s, Hennie Kuiper, is quoted as saying, “Racing is licking your opponent’s plate clean before starting on your own.”

That is cycling in a nutshell.

In the end, he was definitely the strongest at the finish, and once he launched his sprint, the result was never in doubt. He had played such a canny game until that point that I admit I was worried he didn’t have the legs. I loved the immediate video call to his partner Nel and Baby Gustaaf amidst the press of photographers after the finish line. Another testament to this sympathetic character is the fact that his whole team was among the crowd to watch the victory ceremony. I will also admit to getting a bit glassy-eyed when watching his post-race interview. Nice guys don’t always win, but it is fantastic when they do.

Onward to today and the ‘Queen Stage’ of this year’s Tour. It’s only 145 km, but it packs 4,500 m of vertical ascent into that relatively short distance. Three massive mountains, all going over 2,000 m in altitude. The middle one, the Cime de la Bonette, goes as high as 2,800 m, the highest paved road in France.

In the past, Vingegaard and Visma have always paved their way to a defeat of Pogacar on stages like today. The plan has been to wear him down on the big middle climb and then capitalize on that on the final climb, which on two previous occasions has resulted in minutes gained. There are two differences from ’22 and ‘23, though: Vingegaard’s less-than-ideal preparation for the Tour and the lack of a really good climbing domestique. In past years, he had the services of Roglic and Kuss in the high mountains, and I am not sure Jorgenson and Kelderman are quite at their level.

Tomorrow’s stage is another beast, over a shorter distance and with more vertical meters, but it never goes over 1,600 m in altitude, and I sense that Vingegaard and his team think that Poggi

17/07/2024

TDF Stage Seventeen
Yesterday was easy to predict, but I must say that I don't think I have ever seen riders attack, realize no one is coming with them, and then stop by the side of the road for a p*e, letting the peloton catch them again. The sprinters’ teams made it very clear that they were aiming for a mass sprint. In the past, smaller teams would still send riders up the road for the ‘publicity.’ I wonder if the modern advertising and marketing landscape has changed this dynamic, where simply pedaling in front of the TV cameras is not worth what it used to be for sponsors. I’d be interested to read what industry experts think about this. I definitely suggest that the Tour needs to reinstate the intermediate sprints competition because these stages are boring until the last hour, even for enthusiasts like me who enjoy watching the scenery and historical references along the way.

One notable outcome from yesterday was the renewed interest in the Green Jersey competition. It's unfortunate for Girmay that he crashed, losing any chance of maintaining his insurmountable lead, but that’s the nature of the game. Risks are taken in sprints, and sometimes they result in misfortune. There are only about 30 points separating the leaders now, so I think Girmay and Philipsen will make big efforts for the intermediate sprints in each of the next four stages since they have little to no hope of contending for the stage finishes. This could definitely liven up the formation of the early breakaways. The next two stages, and possibly all the remaining stages before the final time trial on Sunday, could see successful breakaways. A lot will depend on Visma now, as I think UAE will be happy to let the breakaways go.

Today’s stage looks tough. The profile shows a very gentle drag for the first 130 km, rising 1000 m in altitude over that distance. It's the kind of terrain you don’t really feel when riding in a bunch, but it takes its toll. The wind is expected to be cross to headwind for most of that stretch, which will make it more draining. It doesn't look as hot as yesterday, but it's still warm by European standards. All this will set up an interesting last 40 km.

If Pau is the gateway to the Pyrenees, Gap is the gateway to the Alps. As soon as the race descends into Gap and turns left, the climbing starts. The Bayard looks like an interesting climb: almost dead straight with sections of short, sharp hairpins. I expect that a fairly large breakaway group will start thinning here. Those not confident in their climbing may want to start the action sooner rather than dealing with the accelerations of specialist climbers.

The Col de Noyer is the stage’s main challenge, following a short 8 km stretch of valley road after the Bayard descent. This is a little beast. Not massive by alpine standards, but nearly 8 km at over 8% average is a serious obstacle or an opportunity for those who excel at such climbs. It’s steeper in the second half with double-digit gradients in the last 2 km. This is where the best climbers in the lead group will want to make their move. Only ten kilometers from the finish, the climbers will want to distance themselves from the more powerful finishers, as the final climb of the Montée Superdévoluy is not as difficult in comparison. Only 3 km at 6%, it's achievable for strong 'Classics Men' who can climb shorter hills and pack a good sprint finish.

Today, I would bet on us getting two races for the price of one. I think a very big early move will form with a diverse mix of riders: sprinters aiming for the intermediate sprint at 114 km, strong classics riders hoping to hang on over the first two steeper climbs, and climbers hoping to distance everyone else with 10 km to go. Teams will want to get multiple riders in this move to keep their chosen race-winner as fresh as possible for the last hour of racing. This is a good stage for DSM’s Bardet or Barguil, and I expect both of them in the move. Stuyven and Skuins possibly from Trek, Carapaz and Healy from EF, and I think Alpecin will want van der Poel and Philipsen in there for the intermediate points. However, this finish might not favor Mathieu completely. It will depend on what level of climbers make it to the Noyer since they will definitely want to distance him before the final climb. Tomorrow’s stage suits him more, so I think he’ll save energy if things don’t go his way early on.

Finally, I think we will see some action among the GC contenders on the climbs. It might be more of a ‘testing of the waters’ to see if there are any opportunities, but based on the form we've seen so far, I don't expect significant gaps today—unless someone has a horrible day, which can happen in the final week of a Grand Tour. In that case, there will be no mercy.

16/07/2024

TDF Stage Sixteen
Today should be a routine stage post-rest day. As discussed previously, the biggest concern today should be ‘blocked legs’ after a day off from racing. Every rider worries about a ‘jour sans’ or day without. On paper, the route looks perfect for a day like today, where a rider not feeling peppy after a day of lounging around has the opportunity to ride himself back into racing. There is only one KOM point on offer, and there are lots of sprinters who will want a shot at the stage and possibly even the intermediate Green Jersey points.

So, what chance does a breakaway have today? Slim to none. I think the non-mountain climbing baroudeurs will look at tomorrow and Thursday as their last two hopes for a stage win. Friday and Saturday are mountainous, and with Vingegaard vowing to continue fighting, those both look like days where the break will be brought back as a result of the infernal pace of either Visma or UAE, or both. So, for the strong opportunists, it's better to save their legs for Wednesday and Thursday and take it easy today. I don’t think we’ll see much action once the flag drops today, but out of sheer desperation and maybe a tongue lashing from the sports directors (there are a few teams who have gotten nothing out of the Tour yet), we should have an early move go up the road. I think it will be pretty lacklustre.

There is the wind, though… The route travels through the Camargue. Expect to see plenty of shots of white horses frolicking across lagoons and reed-covered marshland. Another feature of this area is the wind called the Mistral. This is like a Berg Wind in South Africa, blowing off the land towards the Mediterranean Sea. It is not as prevalent in the summer, but it is definitely something the peloton would have been checking on for today, and there will be nerves in the bunch as they cross the exposed coastal plains and river deltas.

Strong crosswinds today could spell disaster for a GC rider who did not come out of the rest day well, but looking at the forecast, the wind is predicted to be pretty benign from the NW. So, slight cross-tail winds over the left shoulder but nothing strong enough to provoke too much action. You can never be too sure with wind strength predictions, though, so let’s wait and see.

It will definitely be a sprint finish of some kind today and most likely a full bunch gallop. See what I did there? Horses of the Camargue… gallop… I’m rooting for Lotto’s De Lie.

14/07/2024

TDF Stage Fifteen

Has the balance shifted back to Pogacar again? Watching the interviews, he is definitely more upbeat than he was after Stage Eleven last Wednesday. I expected Vingegaard to attack on the steeper bottom of the Pla d'Adet, but he didn’t. He had his teammates occupying the three positions behind Soler when he was in his final effort before pulling off, and I was convinced that Visma were going to stomp through and set up the move. Instead, they all seemed to fade away from the front, and the steeper gradients were passed without incident or provocation. Maybe Jonas didn’t have an attack in him. The ball was firmly back in UAE’s court, and they obliged by sending the pesky Yates up the road. If anyone thought he was going for the stage as Pogacar suggested in a pre-race interview, they were very, very naïve. Looking over his shoulder every few pedal strokes, he was clearly placing himself 30 seconds up the road as a springboard for his team leader. Jonas and Remco responded well when Tadej jumped across, but after a kilometer or so of holding their own, the gap started to widen.

Two minutes is becoming a bit of a concern now for Visma. There is still a week to go and lots of big mountains to traverse, and I am sure they are still waiting for that ‘Giro fatigue’ to kick in. I don’t think we can say it is over yet, but the big gal is definitely warming up her vocal cords.

Today’s stage is very different from yesterday’s in that it is nearly 50 km longer and has more than 1000 m of additional vertical meters to scale. I am very confident that a decent-sized early breakaway is going to go on the Peyresourde, which the peloton will encounter straight out of the neutral zone. This means it will be a group of climbers, but the teams will try to get some support in there as well. Some will be to lighten the load of potential stage winners, but the GC teams may also try to get some of their weaker climbers in so that they are present later in the stage to help their GC leaders or provide a springboard for someone to jump across to. This will need to be a fairly large group because there is a long stretch of valley road between the Portet d’Aspet and the Col d’Agnes. I also think every Frenchman in the race will have a go today, even if he is burdened with a little extra timber. It is, after all, Bastille Day, and French honor demands it!

The first three Cat 1 climbs are too far from the finish for moves by the GC riders, but they are all tough (apparently all being climbed on their steeper sides). This will load already fatigued legs after yesterday’s battering and set the stage for drama on the final two mountains. The Col d’Agnes looks hard. We might see a move by riders on either side of 10th place here. Someone like Ciccone, Gall, Gee, or Buitrago, who don’t have much to lose. It is easy to say that looking at things on paper, but they might not have the legs for it or the motivation. They may prefer to hold on to what they have. A 10th place in the biggest race in the world is a significant result, and if UAE maintains their all-conquering demeanor, it may quash the hopes of the minor players.

I don’t think Soudal will send Landa up the road, as Evenepoel is happy with where he is and looking to defend that rather than grab for more. So, a fresher Spaniard by his side will be better than having UAE chasing him. Visma might send Jorgenson up the road, but he is more than ten minutes in arrears, and I am not sure it will provoke the desired reaction from UAE, the tactic then backfiring and leaving Jonas without an essential ally on the final climb. If anything, UAE are the most likely of the teams of the top three riders to do something like this. They could try to get Yates away over the Col d’Agnes in order to force Visma, Soudal, and Ineos to do the grunt work on the 25 km run between the end of the descent and the final climb to Plateau de Beille.

All of these shenanigans will just set up the action on the final 16 km at 8%. I think Pogacar will follow the script that has added seconds to his lead every time he has tried it, except once. I think Jonas needs to go early. He needs his team to grind the acceleration out of Tadej’s legs and then roll him off his wheel over an extended period. He needs to make it a battle of 20-minute power rather than five minutes, which suits the Slovenian. I’m just not sure that Visma is up for the job at the moment or, in fact, if Jonas has the legs himself. Remco will follow the first two as best he can and make sure he keeps Rodriguez behind him.

12/07/2024

TDF Stage Thirteen

The thirteenth stage on a Friday has to be bad luck for the sprinters and good for the breakaway, surely?

100 miles is not a long stage at this level. It starts flat to rolling and then becomes nice and lumpy toward the end. There will be a moderate cross-tail wind at the beginning and a similar breeze at the end. While this won't put any GC favorites under threat, it will definitely help the break to form initially and then incentivize attacks towards the end. The GC teams will want an easier day before the two big mountain stages on the weekend. Wanty will be happy for a sizeable escape group to hoover up the points at the intermediate and finish. They have already won three stages and will now look to protect Girmay's green jersey.

The only potential spanner in the works could be teams like Cofidis and Lotto Dstny, who have sprinters like Coquard and De Lie, who are better than most of the bulky boys over the small hills. These two teams may play for a reduced bunch sprint by hammering things over the last 50 km’s lumps and bumps, dropping the sprinters who don’t climb as well, and setting it up for their guys. Although I do like Bryan Coquard and would love to see him win a TDF stage, in this scenario, I can’t see another outcome than 'The Walloon Bull'.

I am hoping for and expecting a sizeable morning break to form. Or should that be mid-afternoon, because the riders are getting to sleep in a bit today. Marc Madiot will be apoplectic in the team bus this evening if the team doesn’t get at least two riders in the move of the day. I think Cofidis may hedge their bets with someone like the hirsute Geschke or Professor Martin, both of whom could escape in the lumpy final should the move not be recovered. This will also take the pressure off the team to chase too early to set it up for Coquard. Lotto may employ a similar tactic by putting roommates and Instagram comedy duo Campenaerts or van Moer in the early move.