NEWS PAGE

Nicolas Portal, sports director for Team Ineos, died on Tuesday due to a heart attack at the age of 40, according to reports.

Portal had been a professional for the French team AG2R Prevoyance beginning as a trainee in 2001 and continuing through 2005.  He then joined Caisse d’Epargne for three seasons before ending his racing career with Team Sky in 2010.  He missed much of the 2009 season due to cardiac arrhythmia but raced a full season in 2010. 

Portal was part of Team Sky during Bradley Wiggins’ 2012 Tour de France win and then helped the team during the victories of Chris Froome (2013 and 2015-2017), Geraint Thomas (2018), and after the team changed names to Team Ineos when Egan Bernal won last year.

For more info visit:   https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nicolas-portal-dies-of-heart-attack-at-40/ 

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) reported six new coronavirus cases have been found at the UAE Tour, arising from contact with the two team staff members whose infections saw the race draw to a premature close last week.

"The six individuals diagnosed with the new coronavirus include two Russians, two Italians, one German and one Colombian," read the statement from MoHAP. "The patients were connected to the two previously announced cases associated with the cycling event, the UAE Tour.

For more info visit:   https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/authorities-report-six-new-covid-19-positives-among-uae-tour-entourage/

Hugo Hofstetter (Israel Start-Up Nation) claimed victory in Le Samyn by outsprinting Aimé De Gendt (Circus-Groupe Gobert) and David Dekker (SEG Racing Academy) at the end of keenly fought contest in Dour.

As ever at Le Samyn, much of the selection came at the rear of the race rather than the front, with riders shaken loose from the back of a fragmenting peloton each time they clattered over the cobbled sections on the four laps of the 27km finishing circuit around Dour.

For more info visit:  https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/le-samyn-2020/elite-men/results/

Results

Rider Name (Country) Team Result

1 Simon Clarke (Aus) EF Pro Cycling 5:17:11

2 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Arkea - Samsic

3 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Trek - Segafredo 0:00:02

4 Guillaume Martin (Fra) Cofidis 0:00:26

5 Benoit Cosnefroy (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale

6 Gonzalo Serrano Rodriguez (Spa) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA 0:00:36

7 Julien Simon (Fra) Total Direct Energie

8 Sean Bennett (USA) EF Pro Cycling

9 Tanel Kangert (Est) EF Pro Cycling

10 Lilian Calmejane (Fra) Total Direct Energie

For more info visit:   https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/royal-bernard-drome-classic-2020-2020/elite-men/results/