31 August | Grosskoschen (Germany)
The 2019 UCI Cycle-ball World Cup reached mid-way with the fourth of eight rounds in Grosskoschen. In a repetition of the last two UCI World Championships, the final match of this stopover saw Austrians RC Höchst 1 (Patrick Schnetzer and Markus Bröll) up against the German team RMC Stein (Gerhard and Bernd Mlady). UCI World Champions Höscht got the better of the Germans to take a decisive 5:1 win in their first World Cup appearance since Bröll’s announcement that he will retire at the end of this season.
Hosts RSV Grosskoschen delighted the enthusiastic local crowds with their first-ever podium at a UCI World Cup, beating Czechs TJ Sokol Zin 3:1 in the play-off for third. The Swiss RS Altdorf 1 and Czechs SC Svitavka, both unable to start with their original players, had to make do with fifth and sixth place respectively.
31 August | Plouay (France)
Just four weeks out from the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire (GBR), reigning road race UCI World Champion Anna van der Breggen has demonstrated she is in good shape, claiming victory at the 128km race in and around Plouay. On a course featuring multiple laps with a succession of climbs, the Boels Dolmans CyclingTeam rider made a decisive attack on the first climb of the last lap. She then then rode solo for the last 12km to win 11 seconds ahead of the USA’s Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) who won the sprint from the following bunch. Absent in Plouay, Marianne Voc (CCC-Liv) still leads the UCI Women’s WorldTour ranking.
See results and rankings .
1 September | Plouay (France)
It was a double Belgian celebration at the end of the 248km Bretagne Classic – Ouest France, when Sep Vanmarcke (EF Education First) won the three-way sprint from Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal). The Belgians’ breakaway partner, Australian Jack Haig (Mitchelton Scott), took third place. The three men rode together for the final 20km, keeping the following bunch at 45 seconds. When Vanmarcke made his move in the final kilometre, his companions were unable to follow. A fantastic victory for the 31-year-old who has become known for his three frustrating 4th places at Paris-Roubaix.
See results and rankings .
28 August – 1 September | Mont-Saint-Anne (Canada)
It was an edition for the history books: the crowning of the first E-MTB UCI World Champions, an incredible 8th XCO title for Switzerland’s Nino Schurter, and back in business for France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot with her second XCO title after 2015.
Switzerland dominated XCO racing with five titles: in the Team Relay, Men Elite (Nino Schurter), Women Under 23 (Sina Frei), Women Junior (Jacqueline Schneebeli) and Women E-MTB (Nathalie Schneitter).
Meanwhile the French showed what’s what in Elite downhill racing with a fourth title for Loïc Bruni and the women’s rainbow jersey going to Myriam Nicole, who would appear to have put injuries behind her.
24 August -15 September | Spain
The youngest rider in this year’s Vuelta Ciclista a España will have Monday’s rest day to savour his stage nine victory. Just one year after winning the renowned UCI Nations’ Cup U23 stage race the Tour de l’Avenir, Tadej Pogačar has celebrated another UCI WorldTour win. The 20-year-old rider for Team UAE Emirates, overall winner of the Amgen Tour of California (and stage six) in May, rode solo to victory in Sunday’s short and explosive Vuelta a España stage. Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team), 2nd in Sunday’s stormy finish, takes the overall leader’s jersey from Nicolas Edet (Cofidis, Solutions Credits), the Vuelta’s best climber in 2013. With six seconds over Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo-Visma), Quintana leads the Vuelta for the first time since his 2016 overall victory.
See results and rankings .