Cycling: Mid-November - the road bike season is over. While the pros recover and prepare for the coming season in training camps, we look back on an eventful year. Five highlights are particularly memorable. These were our cycling highlights in 2018!
1) Marc Soler wins the thriller in Nice
The phrase "second thriller" and the Paris-Nice cycling race can almost be used in the same sentence every year. This March, the eight-day stage race once again delivered one of cycling's highlights. The overall victory wasn't decided until the final stage , with no fewer than six riders battling for the title at one point. David de la Cruz (Sky) won the memorable final stage, but the biggest cheers went to his fellow Spaniard, Marc Soler (Movistar). The 24-year-old delivered an extremely intelligent performance, improving from sixth to first place overall. He overtook the previous leader, Simon Yates (Mitcheton-Scott), by four seconds in the final meters. It wouldn't be the last disappointment in a Grand Tour for the Briton…
2) FantasTIESJ Benoot is born in Tuscany
The Strade Bianche remains an underrated event on the road cycling calendar. Year after year, the Italian one-day race presents us with top-class cycling – and 2018 was no exception. The setting was once again the white roads winding through stunning landscapes. This time, however, the usually dusty affair turned into a rain-soaked mud bath through Tuscany. The blistering pace caused the peloton to splinter early on, and two renowned professionals, Romain Bardet (AG2R) and Wout Van Aert (Vérandas Willems-Crelan), made a promising breakaway – but then came Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal). The Belgian managed to close the gap with a solo attack from the chasing group and then simply left the leaders behind. The following day, the media were full of praise for "FantasTIESJ Benoot" and one of the greatest cycling highlights – and rightly so!
3) Chris Froome with his 80 km solo for eternity
Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) dominated the Giro d'Italia for over 18 stages. The Briton looked like the certain winner. But on the 19th stage from Venaria Reale to Bardonecchia, everything was turned upside down. It was one of those days that cycling fans will be talking about for years to come. Because on the 184-kilometer stage, something truly unbelievable happened: Chris Froome (Sky) attacked on the Colle delle Finestre and, with an 80-kilometer solo attack, crushed the entire peloton. While leader Simon Yates lost contact and all hope of a top finish, Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) and his fellow contenders fought to limit the damage. In the end, however, Chris Froome won the Giro d'Italia thanks to this 19th stage, even though he had been more than four minutes behind at one point. He thus provided what was probably the most controversial of the 2018 cycling highlights.
4) John Degenkolb fulfills his childhood dream
Rarely has the entire cycling world rejoiced over a winner as much as on July 15, 2018. John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) had just won stage 9 of the Tour de France. It was his first victory in the French Grand Tour – and everyone shared in the German's joy. The 156,5-kilometer stage took the peloton over 21,7 kilometers of cobblestones. The race in the Hell of the North claimed prominent victims even before the cobbled sectors began. Pre-race favorite Richie Porte (BMC) crashed out. Many other riders also went down, but there were no decisive changes in the general classification. This made the battle for the stage win all the more exciting. Ultimately, Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Floors), and John Degenkolb himself managed to break away from the peloton and contest the victory amongst themselves. Riding from the front, he gave his two rivals no chance in the sprint – and the tears began to flow. From a German perspective, John Degenkolb certainly provided one of the biggest cycling highlights of the season.
5) The perfect advertisement for women's cycling
Unfortunately, there's currently no Tour de France for women. However, thanks to the event "La Course by le Tour de France," women's cycling can at least benefit from the Grand Tour's immense popularity for one day. To say that the participants seized this opportunity this season would be a gross understatement. The two Dutch riders, Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen, treated spectators to a truly thrilling finale – more exciting than any single men's stage. On the descent to the finish, Anna van der Breggen looked like the certain winner for the entire time, holding a lead of around five to nine seconds. Only in the final meters did she falter, allowing her compatriot Annemiek van Vleuten to catch up and overtake her. But see for yourselves…