Saitama Criterium 2024, Girmay wins

Rome, 2 November 2024 - Although the competitive season has now ended for several weeks, the calendar still features events that are more of a kermesse than anything else. Above all, those organised by Aso, patron of Tour de France which by doing so intends to bring its brand to exotic destinations as well. This is the case of Saitama Criterium 2024, which featured a startlist to die for and which at the end of the event saw an even more intriguing podium: first Biniam Girmay, According to Primois Roglic and third Mark Cavendish.

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Now in its tenth edition, the Japanese event has seen the success of one of the most acclaimed riders in those latitudes but not only, because he is now an emblem of a cycling that is expanding its borders year after year. Starting right from Girmay, the same argument can be extended to Roglic, present at the start in the red jersey: a fitting reward for the winner of the latest edition of the Return, As well as of 4 in total as only managed to Roberto Heras. Not only smiles and spectacle: 35 km from the end a platform caused several runners to fall badly against the barriers, but fortunately the fear of the case was not followed by any particular damage. In the end nothing, apart from the rain, darkened the day of celebration of Girmay, in turn in green jersey as seen in Tour de France 2024.

Team Jayco AlUla's enthusiasm on O'Connor

Among the novelties of 2025 there is the passage of Well O'Connor laid down by the Decathlon AG2R The World Team al Team Jayco AlUla, a team that through the sporting director Matt White he commented on the transfer to the microphones of Daniel Benson. "Ben comes from an incredible season in which he was one of the best riders in the world: our challenge on the horizon now is to confirm himself at these levels. Next year will surely play the Tour de France, which will be his main goal, even if we know that with opponents like Tadej pogacar e jonas vingegaard in the race it will be difficult to win. They are stronger - he admits White - but despite this, you must always show up at the start with the highest ambitions and without thinking about others". Not only the Great Boucle: in 2025 di O'Connor there could be a new assault on the Return, the friendliest race in my career so far. "We'll see what the men from the other teams have in mind for the general classification. Returning to the Tour de France, Anyway Ben will not have the full weight of our expectations on its shoulders. As has happened in the past, we will try to launch Dylan Groenewegen for the sprints and for the mountain stages, we will also have resources Eddie Dunbar e Mauro Schmid". Who knows if at Tour de France 2025 there will be the Uno-X Mobility, which according to the manager Thor Hushovd is already dreaming of the wild card, which would be the third in a row. According to the former sprinter, the Norwegian team would be fighting for a place with the Team TotalEnergies and especially with the Tudor Pro Cycling Team, clearly in pole position after having hired a certain Julian Alaphilippe.

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