VN ticker: Team TotalEnergies renews Boasson-Hagen, three new signings for Astana, FDJ withdraws from Drenthe
Here's the news making headlines for Friday, October 22.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Team TotalEnergies renews Edvald Boasson-Hagen, Jérémy Cabot, Víctor de la Parte
Team TotalEnergies has booked in three of its key players for two more years.
The French second-division squad announced Thursday it has extended the contracts of Edvald Boasson-Hagen, Jérémy Cabot, and Víctor de la Parte through 2023.
Boasson-Hagen, 34, is expected to form a key part of TotalEnergies’ bolstered classics crew in 2022. The experienced Norwegian will partner new recruits Peter Sagan and Daniel Oss in the quest for one-day wins.
“I am very happy to extend with TotalEnergies! My integration into my new team went very well this year,” Boasson-Hagen said. “I am already looking forward to racing for the team for the next two seasons. My main focus remains on the classics. I will do everything in my power to help the team achieve great results.”
The sprinter Cabot and climber de la Parte will ensure Total Energies keeps its grand tour ambitions open in the wake of the arrival of Sagan and co.
🎙 Nos coureurs ont de belles ambitions pour les deux prochaines saisons ! Découvrez leur réaction ⤵
— Team TotalEnergies (@TeamTotalEnrg) October 21, 2021
Alexandr Riabushenko, Simone Velasco, Michele Gazzoli sign for Astana Qazaqstan
Astana-Qazaqstan has added three more riders to its steadily re-shaping roster. The Kazakh squad revealed Friday that Alexandr Riabushenko, Simone Velasco, and neo-pro Michele Gazzoli have all signed up through 2023.
Riabushenko moves to the squad after turning pro with UAE-Emirates in 2017, while Velasco has been riding with Gazprom-Rusvelo for the past two seasons.
Gazzoli, 22, placed fourth at the U23 worlds road race earlier this year. He is the latest in a swathe of Italian riders joining the team, including Velasco, Gianni Moscon, and the Nibali brothers.
“I am excited with the chance to ride side by side with the biggest stars as Vincenzo Nibali and Gianni Moscon,” Gazzoli said. “I know that my first year in the WorldTour will be a hard one and I have to learn many things and to gain a lot of experience, but I am ready for this challenge. My main goal for the new year is to learn as much as possible and to help the team in the best possible way.”
Miguel Ángel López, David de la Cruz, and Joe Dombrowski will also be wearing the Astana blue next year, while Danish stalwart will be moving across to Israel’s Start-Up Nation.
FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope withdraws from Ronde van Drenthe
FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope is the second top team to withdraw from this weekend’s Ronde van Drenthe.
The French squad stated on Twitter on Thursday that a swathe of injuries at the end of a long season has forced them to withdraw from Saturday’s race, which closes out the Women’s WorldTour.
“We have to end our season prematurely due to the many injuries in the team in recent weeks,” read the tweet from FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope. “Thank you Ronde van Drenthe for your understanding, and we wish you a good race and see you in 2022!”
We have to end our season prematurely due to the many injuries in the team in recent weeks.
Thank you @RondevDrenthe for your understanding, and we wish you a good race and see you in 2022 ! pic.twitter.com/jw98DGsCLx
— FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope (@FDJ_NAqui_Fut) October 21, 2021
Movistar team also pulled out of Ronde van Drenthe Thursday due to “multiple injuries and setbacks.”