Austria names Worlds team, Houle joins Astana, Broken pelvis for Mamykin
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Beautiful scenery at the Tour de Suisse stage 6(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Lukas Postlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) in the maglia rosa after winning the opening stage at the 2017 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Hugo Houle (AG2R La Mondiale)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Matvey Mamykin (Katusha-Alpecin)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Stage 6 of the Tour de Suisse passed over some cobbles(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Tour de Suisse has announced its full course for 2018, starting with two stages in Frauenfeld and ending with two stages in Bellinzona. The race will take place June 9-17, 2018. Specific stage details won’t be made public until late February next year.
Stage 5 (Gstaad-Leukerbad), stage 6 (Fiesch-Gommiswald) and stage 7 (Eschenbach/Atzmännig – Arosa) are expected to be the challenging climbing stages.
Tour de Suisse 2018 June 9, Stage 1: Frauenfeld June 10, Stage 2: Frauenfeld June 11, Stage 3: Oberstammheim – Gansingen June 12, Stage 4: Gansingen – Gstaad June 13, Stage 5: Gstaad – Leukerbad June 14, Stage 6: Fiesch – Gommiswald June 15, Stage 7: Eschenbach/Atzmännig – Arosa June 16, Stage 8: Bellinzona June 17, Stage 9: Bellinzona
Austria for the World Championships
Marco Haller (Katusha-Alpecin), Gregor Mühlberger and Lukas Pöstlberger (both Bora-Hansgrohe) will represent Austria in the men’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Bergen. Stefan Denifl, who won the Vuelta a Espana stage 17 atop the Alto de los Machucos, is the alternate.
Mühlberger won both the national road title and Rund um Köln this season. Pöstlberger took the first leader’s jersey in this year’s Giro d’Italia when he unexpectedly won the sprint of the first stage.
For the time trial, Pöstlberger and Riccardo Zoidl (Felbrmayr Simplon Wells) will represent the Alpine nation. Former world hour record holder Matthias Brändle (Trek-Segafredo), was not named to the squad because of the climbing involved.
Houle to Astana for two years
Hugo Houle has signed with Astana for two years, leaving Ag2R La Mondiale after five years. The Canadian is currently riding the Vuelta a Espana.
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Houle, 26, is a past time trial national champion, and he also won the ITT at the PanAmerican games. He is a strong Classics rider who can provide support at stage races, Astana said.
“After five years in almost all-French team, I am curious to become a part of an international squad,” Houle said in the Astana press release. "Astana is known by its great ambitions in the Grand Tours, and I will be happy to help the team, both in the big races and the classics, which I like so much."
Astana emphasized the Canadian factor, noting that it was making the announcement whilst the team is riding the Grand Prix de Quebec.
“I am sure, for our partner Argon18 it will be good news as well,” said general manager Alexander Vinokourov.
Broken pelvis for Mamykin
Katusha-Alpecin's Matvey Mamykin suffered a fractured pelvis in a crash during stage 19 of the Vuelta a Espana. The Russian hit a stone wall when the road suddenly narrowed.
"The road narrowed in the downhill and I could not escape from a concrete wall," he said in a video posted by his team on Twitter.
Mamykin was disappointed not to be able to continue the race to help Ilnur Zakarin overtake Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb) for the final Vuelta podium.
"The road narrowed in the downhill and I could not escape from a concrete wall", tells @matveymamykin from Cabueñes Hospital in Gijón. pic.twitter.com/ai14OIWgTC
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