It’s already time for La Grande Boucle
We are almost there. The Tour de France 2022, one of the awaited cycling Grand Tours of the year, starts from the roads of Copenaghen in Denmark. The 109th edition of the La Grande Bouclecomprises 21 stages over the course of 23 days. After 3,328 kms the riders will close the path with the final stage of Paris, the 24th of July.
The eight riders representing the newly renamed Alpecin- Deceuninck team are Van der Poel, Dillier, Krieger, Plankaert, Philipsen, Van Keirsbulck, Sbaragli and Gogl. While for the Austrian Michael Gogl this is his fifth Tour, it will be the first for Alexander Krieger and Guillaume van Keirsbulck.
For Mathieu van der Poel, the captain, is the second participation and he’s ready to repeat the great performance of the 2021 edition, where he wore the yellow jersey for six consecutive days. He dedicated the second stage victory to his grandfather, French cycling legend Raymond Poulidor, who participated 14 times at La Gran Boucle but never wore the yellow jersey. It was a very touching moment, and we can’t wait to see what Alpecin- Deceuninck riders will do during the 2022 edition.
FENIX® to continue supporting Alpecin-Deceuninck
As Alpecin-FENIX becomes Alpecin-Deceuninck, starting July 1st, FENIX will continue to support the UCI ProTeam as an official partner.
FENIX became the second naming sponsor of the team in January 2020. In the following years, Alpecin-FENIX showed great and sustained development. Now, we are proud to see them continue to grow towards their World Tour goal. With the sponsorship change, the FENIX logo will be now visible on the back of the bib shorts.
“We look back to a very successful sponsorship over the past years and want to thank the entire team – cyclists and support staff – for the great achievements, but also the pleasant and professional cooperation.
Our FENIX brand has significantly benefited from this,” said Matthijs Schoten, CEO Broadview Holding in a statement.
“The team has showed a strong development in this period, and we are proud to see it making the step towards the World Tour, the top league in cycling. That is why we are pleased to make room for a new key sponsor to support this development. We will however remain actively involved to continue to support this successful team in its journey towards a leading position in the peloton.”
Merlier sprints to the second Belgian Title!
Tim Merlier is the 2022 Belgian men’s elite national road champion after a thrilling final in the Middelkerke race. This is his second national title, after winning it in 2019 in Ghent (East Flanders).
Merlier closed the 208.7-kilometre race in Middelkerke with a terrific sprint among a large group of 30 riders. He crossed first the finish line in 4 hours 20 minutes and 49 seconds just ahead of Jordi Meeus (BORA-hansgrohe) and his Alpecin-FENIX teammate Jasper Philipsen, who was in the competition for the victory till the very end of the race.
Both the Alpecin-FENIX riders deserve the congratulations of all the team. We are eager to see the new challenges but now it’s time to celebrate the Merlier’s victory!
Maurice Ballerstedt is the 2022 German U23 ITT champion
On Friday, Alpecin-FENIX Pro cyclist Maurice Ballerstedt won the 2022 German U23 Individual Time Trial National Championship in Marsberg. The 21-year-old rider covered the 27.5 km course in 37 minutes and 19 seconds, finishing ahead of Tobias Buck-Gramcko (Rad-Net Rose Team) and Hannes Wilksch (Hannes Development Team).
Winning the U23 ITT national title was of Ballerstedt’s goal after he finished second in the 2021 championship. According to the specialized press, the course in Marsberg was probably the most difficult time trial course in recent years.
“It was a balancing act,” said Ballerstedt after the race. “You weren’t allowed to throw everything out at the beginning, you had to divide up your strength. Climbers and time trial specialists both had a chance today. You just had to manage the last few kilometers and roll to the finish line.”
