Australia’s Michael Matthews won the prologue of the Paris-Nice stage race, the second round of the 2016 UCI WorldTour, on Sunday. In his first race of the season, the 25-year-old Orica-GreenEdge rider outpowered the pre-race favourite, Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin), on the short, punchy course by one second. New Zealand’s Patrick Bevin (Cannondale Pro Cycling Team) was third, two seconds back. Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo) continues to insist that 2016 will be his final year despite taking an impressive win at the Italian one-day Strade Bianche race on Saturday. ‘Spartacus’, as the 35-year-old multiple World Time Trial Champion and Classics star is nicknamed, has said that he will retire at the end of this season, his sixteenth in the professional peloton. The 2016 Tour de France has announced its wildcard selection for this year’s race. Cofidis, Bora-Argon 18, Fortuneo-Vital Concept and Direct Énergie have been invited. The UCI confirmed that 21 races from four different continents have applied for UCI WorldTour status in 2017 and the following two seasons. Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) was still the leader of the UCI World Ranking on 28 February. Gerrans also leads the UCI WorldTour. The 2016 UCI WorldTour has now completed 817 km.
Paris-Nice > March 6th - 13th
Last year’s results - 2015 Paris-Nice
1.Richie Porte (AUS) 2.Michal Kwiatkowski (POL) 3.Simon Spilak (SLO)
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Tirreno-Adriatico > March 9th - 15th
Last year’s results - 2015 Tirreno-Adriatico
1. Nairo Quintana (COL) 2. Bauke Mollema (NED) 3. Rigoberto Uran (COL)
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Tirreno-Adriatico
Held annually since 1966, the record holder for wins is Belgian Classics star Roger De Vlaeminck, with six wins between 1972 and 1978. No other rider has won it more than twice. Known as the Race of the Two Seas, the winner’s trophy is very unusual - a trident, like that carried by Neptune, the Roman God of the Seas. First held as a three-day race, since 2002 it has featured seven stages. The finish is traditionally in the town of San Benedetto del Tronto on the Adriatic coast. The colour of the overall leader's jersey, as befits an event nicknamed the Race of the Two Seas, is blue. The longest distance for the race was 1,437 kilometres in 1998, when the event was eight stages long and won by Rolf Jaermann. The shortest race was 604 kilometres in 1966, won by Dino Zandegu. This year’s 51st edition of Tirreno-Adriatico starts in Camaiore with a 22.7 kilometre team time trial and finishes in San Benedetto del Tronto with a 10.1 kilometre individual time trial. The race is 1,019 kilometres long this year. Italy holds the national record for wins, with 24 victories out of a possible 50. Belgium, with seven wins, is the second most successful country.
Richie Porte Born 30 January 1985 in Launceston, Tasmania, Richie Porte is an Australian professional cyclist who rides for the UCI WorldTeam BMC Racing Team. Having turned pro in 2010, Porte has won Paris-Nice twice as well as numerous other week-long stage races. Major wins Grand Tours 2010 Giro d’Italia - Best Young Rider competition winner Stage races Paris-Nice: 2013, 2015 Volta a Catalunya: 2015 Giro del Trentino: 2015 Tour of the Algarve: 2012 Tour of Romandie, stage win: 2010 Vuelta al País Vasco, stage win: 2013 One-day races 2015 Australian Time Trial Championships Speciality: Grand Tours, week-long stage races
We are 150 days from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
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