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Jakob signs with Israel Premier Tech
Jakob signs a 3 year deal with Israel Premier Tech. He is happy for a change and a new team after nearly 9 years in Astana Pro Team. In Israel Premier tech, Jakob has one of the leader positions but he will also try to share his experience of many years as a pro rider and help to develop the team into one of the strongest world tour teams.
Jakob is motivated for another 3 years where he will try to bring as much success as possible to the team.
Jakob finishes 3rd Overall at the Tour de Suisse 2021
Strade Bianche
Jakob finished Strade Bianche as 9th after a less good day for the team.
"As always, Strade Bianche was a tough race and it came down to the final part of the race. As we headed into the last gravel sectionsm I was in the chasing group and tried to bridge across but
the group didn't work well together and it was hard to make the catch, even though we came really close. I finished inside the top 10 but of course it's not what I came for but that's how it is
and now it's time to turn my attention to my next race. " Jakob.
6TH OVERALL - GIRO ITALIA 2020
After a long and hard 3 weeks of racing, with many ups and downs and a big portion of bad luck, Jakob finished this year's Giro Italia as 6th in the general classification. The Giro started off with a time trial where Jakob's start time wasn't optimal as the weather changed during the race and the wind picked up which created relatively big gaps between the main GC contenders. Unfortunately, Miguel Angel Lopez and Alexander Vlasov had to abandon the race due to a crash and stomach problems which made Jakob lose his two most important domestiques for the climbs. The team stayed motivated and the following stages, in particular the mountainous stage finishing on Mount Etna, Jakob showed good form and attacked several times which made him end the first week of the Giro Italia as a 6th Overall. Ambitions were high and the motivation as well to fight for the Podium.
The second week went on and Jakob always finished among the GC favorites until bad luck hit him hard. He suffered a puncture in the last 7 km descent towards the finish, with unfortunately no team car nearby as the peloton had been split in many small groups on the last climb. After a long 30 seconds, he finally managed to change bikes with one of his team mates and fought himself all the way to the finish to limit his loss. Unfortunately, the loss was 1min20 which made him slip some spots backwards in the GC classification.
The moral was hit but he tried to stay focused and positive as they hit the final decisive week. Jakob showed good legs and finished 4th on the queens stage of the Giro Italia which took them over several hard climbs such as Passo di Stelvio and finishing on Lagho di Cancano. Due to his great performance, Jakob had moved up to 6th overall again.
The situation with Covid-19 made it a challenge for the race organisers to stick to the original route and they had to change stage 20 from a very hard decisive stage entering the French Alps to a less impressive stage tackling Sestriere three times.
After all, the stage wasn't playing in Jakob's cards to move up in GC so he remained 6th overall after a solid TT in Milano.
Jakob had different goals for this Giro Italia but with a strongly reduced team, several strikes of bad luck, and a very late Giro after a very strange season, he is okay with his end result. The team has fought all the way until the end has given their best to support Jakob. And Jakob himself has fought until the end too. Now it's time for the off-season, time to relax and recover and then build up for season 2021 to come back even stronger.
Image rights : Getty sport
WINNER OF IL LOMBARDIA 2020
Jakob storms to glory and wins Il Lombardia 2020.
After 231 demanding kilometres out in the heat at the race of the falling leaves, Astana's leader Jakob Fuglsang powered to an amazing Monument victory in Como, the second monument in his career after Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2019.
" I am super happy to win here today and to add another Monument to my Palmàres. It's amazing! I knew I was coming into this race in good shape and I felt like I could win the race but it is always easier to say than it is actually to do it. The team was super today and they did a great job for me all day, especially Vlasov who was really strong and with me right until the final kilometres. It was great to have him there with me. I knew that in the final I could win the sprint against Benett but on that last climb, I decided to speed up and try before to see if I could distance him earlier and that worked out perfectly so I am really happy. I was just watching the race now and saw that Evenepoel was not behind us after that bridge. I heard he had crashed but I thought he was still racing. I hope he's okay. This is not the way you want to finish a race. " says Jakob.
TOUR DE POLOGNE - 2ND OVERALL
Jakob finishes 2nd overall at this years edition of Tour de Pologne.
" In general, I am happy with my performance and results here. The only chance I had to win a stage was on the queen's stage but there was one guy faster but yeah that happens. All in all, I am satisfied as it was my first participation at the Tour de Pologne and it is a nice race but maybe this year there's wasn't many stages for me to go for a win but it was a good training. Now i am on the way to Italy for Il Lombardia." says Jakob.
OVERALL WINNER OF THE VUELTA A ANDALUCIA 2020
The 66th edition of the Vuelta a Andalucia finished with a short time trial in Mijas where Jakob put in a strong performance out on the course, taking the the same time as the stage winner Teuns. Jakob concluded the five day race with a back-to-back win of the overall ranking.
"I'm really happy that I could repeat my overall win here.It's amazing to start the season by winning a race again. Last year I had the best season of my career so far and I hope repeating this win means I can do the same again. It's been a very hard race and we had a lot of hard competition to defend the jersey from the first day but the team has been amazing. I'm the winner but so is the team.I hope it will be a good season and starting like this with a good result here gives me confidence and I can now work towards my next goals. " says Jakob.
Jakob wins stage 3 on a punchy uphill finish - Vuelta a Andalucia
The stage had its bog showdown in the final meters, as the race headed up do Ubeda. The team pulled hard to close the gap to the escapees and Jakob finished the great work off with a well-timed attack on the last corner to take his second stage win at Vuelta a Andalucia. Jakob still leads the overall ranking and was able to increase his lead.
Jakob wins stage 1 and takes the leader's jersey - Vuelta a Andalucia 2020
Jakob started his season by taking an incredible stage win on Grazalema. Jakob now leads the overall ranking. Today, the 66th edition of the Vuelta a Andalucia, also knows as Ruta del Sol, kicked off with a 174km tough stage that took the riders over four category 3 climbs and one category 1 climb.
The race headed onto the final climb of the day, as Mikkel Landa attacked up a tight gap. In the nail biting finale, Jakob overtook Landa in the last meters and went to glory with a 6 second gap over his former breakaway companion.
"I am really happy to take the win. It is always nice to start the season with a win and I like the Vuelta a Andalucia. The team did an amazing job and as Landa attacked we knew we couldn't wait so I followed him and on the last meters I just went away. The stage was not easy with all the climbing and luckily it didn't start to rain. I want to thank my whole team for their support, the victory means a lot to me. I was really motivated to achieve a good result today." says Jakob.
Jakob wins stage 16 - Vuelta a Espagna 2019
Jakob took his maiden Grand tour stage victory winning the 16th stage of the Vuelta a Espana atop Alto de la Cubilla.
" I am super happy with my win. Finally I've got a Grand tour stage victory! It's a great continuation of my best season so far. I am happy that after a disappointing Tour de France due to my crash, I've managed to get my form back here at the Vuelta. It was our plan to go in the breakaway with Luis Leon Sanchez. Actually i also tried yesterday but it didn't work out and now everything was perfect. I want to thank Luis Leon for a great help he provided me on the last climb. He made a super strong attack with about 9km to go and after that we found ourselves in a small group of 5 riders. He continued pushing hard and on a steep sector i attacked and only Brambilla was able to follow me. A bit later, with maybe 5km to go I tried again and this time went alone. I have a great feeling right now with this success, which confirms I am on the right way for the Worlds and the final part of the season. " says Jakob.
JAKOB WINS THE CRITERIUM DU DAUPHINE 2019
Winning the race already once in 2017, today Jakob claimed his second Critérium du Dauphiné overall victory. He attacked on stage 7 which was the queen stage of the race and managed to take over the yellow leaders jersey and finishing 2nd in the stage. Jakob successfully defended his lead in the final stage to together with his teammates. Astana Pro Team has also been crowned as the winner of the Team Classification.
" I was expecting a day that was harder than it turned out to be, but my team did a perfect job as they controlled the race in the best way possible. A group went away with just one rider who was within 6 minutes in the GC, so there was no stress. I could just sit in the wheel of my teammates and they brought me all the way to the finish line. This victory for me is special because now i could actually ride in the yellow jersey, as in 2017 I won the race on the final day. I'm super happy to bring this jersey to the finish today with the great help of my team. I want to thank all of our partners and sponsors for this win, especially Samruk Kazyna for the great support throughout the years.
I look forward to the Tour de France, I think I'm on the right way and until now it's already been a great season for me and Astana. This year everything seems to come really easy and perfect, there is no stress and the atmosphere is fantastic. We lift each other, we are ready to sacrifice ourselves for our teammates and with that, we are able to win many races with many different riders. i want to congratulate Luis Leon Sanchez as well with his win in Switzerland." said Jakob.
JAKOB WINS LIEGE - BASTOGNE - LIEGE
After a third place in the Amstel Gold Race and a second place in Flèche Wallonne, today Jakob Fuglsang took the win with an impressive solo in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. With a strong lead-out of almost the entire Astana Pro Team, Fuglsang attacked at the final climb of the day for his first Monument victory, the third win by an Astana Pro Team rider in La Doyenne.
"It’s fantastic, I’m so happy. It’s the biggest one-day victory in my career, to finish this great week with this result is very special. The team positioned me perfect for the final climb, on the important moment they were there for me. They did an amazing job because for me the finish line was at the top of this climb, so I gave it all. At one moment I looked back and then I knew it was possible and I tried to keep going. There was one scary moment in the downhill, but luckily I was able to get my bike back under control. I was feeling good all day and I tried to stay out of trouble and to stay warm. It was the perfect scenario for me because it was a very hard race. I look forward to a small break now, but this gives a huge motivation for the next races this season. " said Jakob.
FLECHE WALLONE - JAKOB CLAIMS 2ND ATOP MUR DE HUY
After an impressive final climb on the Mur de Huy, Jakob finished second in La Flèche Wallone. He came very close to victory, but it was Julian Alaphilippe who closed the gap and won the sprint. Another very strong performance of Jakob and his teammates.
" This time I’m more happy with my podium than after the Amstel Gold Race, as La Flèche Wallonne normally doesn’t suit me. It was a very nervous day with a lot of wind and crashes. We had the tactic that I had to try to stay as calm as possible until the final climb and to give it a try there. Not trying it in the final hundred meters, but right from halfway the climb to put the more explosive guys under pressure. That kind of succeeded, only thing was that Julian Alaphilippe couldn’t be stopped. When he passed me I thought I could still overtake him before the finish, but I had nothing left for the final meters. I want to thank my teammates for their great work today, but also our sponsors like Samruk who’s making this possible. I gave it all today and for this kind of finish, I can be happy with this result. It just shows that my shape is super good, that I can finish like this in a race that normally doesn’t suit me. I’m happy for that and I look forward to Sunday, hopefully, that will be another nice race for us. " said Jakob.
3RD OVERALL TIRRENO ADRIATICO
With a solid time trial, Jakob claimed his third place overall on the final day of Tirreno-Adriatico. Primoz Roglic won the overall classification by one second on Adam Yates who is 2nd overall in front of Jakob.
" I'm really happy for the 3rd place overall, it has been a good start of the season and to be another podium of a big race like Tirreno-Adriatico is really big. Especially when you see our position after the TTT, where we had bad luck with the conditions. It looked like a GC would be gone but we fought as a team to come back. As a team we can be really proud, as we really left our mark on the race here. We raced really hard, we won the 2 hardest stages, Lutenseko took the GPM and i'm 3rd overall, so a very good race of the team. Today I gave my best to try to change something in the general classification, but I knew it would be difficult because of the length of the time trial and the time gaps. Anyhow, it was a good test. I didn't feel like I was flying but I was also not going slow so in the end nothing changed and this day was ok. But this race shows again we're on the right track, the start has been good, now it's time to recover and look forward. I believe I van still improve for the next races, we will see." says Jakob.
Winner of queen stage in Tirreno- Adriatico
The riders started in Colli al Metauro to finish in Recanati after 180 kilometres of racing with multiple challenging climbs in the final part of the race. A breakaway of then riders formed early in the race, but when the race entered the local laps, only a few riders of this group remained. The riders of Astana Pro Team started chasing the front of a reduced peloton, and when Dario Cataldo finished pulling, Jakob took off and launched an impressive attack. He managed to close the gap with two remaining riders of the break, but with 13 kilometres to go he went solo and took the stage with an impressive solo attack.
Strade Bianche - a strong race and podium for Jakob
After an impressive race, Jakob Fuglsang finished second in Strade Bianche. He dominated the race and split the front group with a strong attack in one of the last sectors. He attacked multiple times in the final, ending up with only Julian Alaphilippe to fight for the victory. The french rider eventually won the race just in front of Jakob, after the final steep climb in Siena.
" I felt very strong and I did everything to win today. In the end, Julian Alaphilippe was able to hang on and to counter-attack in the final kilometre. Of course I would have liked to win this race, but I can be satisfied with the way I raced. The team was strong today and because of this I ended up in a selected group together with Alexey Lutsenko. I knew I had to try to force something, so I attacked and only Alaphilippe and Van Aert were able to follow. It would have been in my favour if they chased us a bit more, because now Alaphilippe was not pulling and was able to save some energy for the final. But I did everything I could today so I should be happy with this second place. I'm sure with these legs I will be able to get that first place on the podium in one of the next races." said Jakob.
Jakob wins the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta del Sol 2019
It was a perfect end of the week for Astana Pro Team with Jakob winning the overall classification at the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta del Sol 2019.
" I am very happy with my win, Our team lives a very nice moment now at the start of the season and I am happy to bring the team the 6th GC victory in a row. I was able to come in a good shape to the start of the year and I felt well during this week. But, also, I can say that this is the team's win, the team's success. Today's victory brings me additional confidence in myself and proves I worked in a right direction during the winter. We are still in the early period of the season and all the big goals are still lying ahead. But we are on the right way to it, " says Jakob.
Winner of the mountain jersey - Vuelta ciclista a Murcia
The Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia has been a very successful one for Astana Proteam taking not only the general classification but also secondary wins.
Pello Bilbao won stage 1 while Luis Leon Sanchez was the winner of stage 2 and the overall classification. Jakob did hard team work on both days helping the team secure those victories and got rewarded by winning the Mountain jersey.
His legs feel good and he is ready for the upcoming Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta del Sol.
Final Podium in Tour de Suisse 2018 - 2nd Overall
Jakob hit the general classification podium at the Tour de Suisse finishing 2nd Overall after a stunning performance on the Queens mountain stage in Arosa where he finished 2nd and a very strong final individual time trial in Bellinzona. The leader of the Astana Pro Team finished 8th in the time trial, becoming the best rider among all GC contenders. This result was more than enough to move Jakob onto the final podium of the Tour de Suisse.
'' This is a great result, which brings me a lot of confidence ahead of the Tour de France. I won the Critérium du Dauphiné last year and now i am 2nd at the Tour de Suisse. This tells me i am on the right way. In today's TT I just gave my all and everything went perfect. I worked a lot on my TT skills last year and now this work pays off. I am really happy to be on the podium. It's true that we did not have a good Team Time Trial at the beginning of the race, but stage by stage we could improve as a team and the final podium is a nice reward for all of us.'' said Jakob.
In the next days he will do a recon of a few Tour de France stages and he will continue his preparation for the Tour.
Next up... Tour de France!
Jakob Fuglsang - The dream of the rainbow stripes and the yellow jersey
Jakob has released a book about his story in cycling and life, written by Rasmus Staghøj and published by Politiken.
It was a project that took a few months of work as Jakob's story is a special one. The book is something like a biography but much more special than that. The truth behind his mysterious character, the beginning of his successful career, the passion for cycling, the ups and down in his career but also in life, the hard and long process to becoming the popular pro cyclist, the olympic silver medal that changed it all and the big dream of the rainbow stripes and the yellow jersey.
Jakob is stronger, more confident and more focused then ever before, he is ready to fight to reach his goals and follow his dreams.
The book has been released and presented in Copenhagen on Wednesday 6th June. It was a very busy day for Jakob with 2 tv shows and 21 interviews as well as a small reception.
The book can be purchased on https://www.saxo.com/dk/jakob-fuglsang_jakob-fuglsangrasmus-staghoej_haeftet_9788740042115
Tour de Romandie - Winner of the Queen stage and 4th in GC
After an impressive attack in the final 15 kilometers of the Queen stage, Jakob finished his first solo victory in 2018.
" I already tried to attack in the final climb but going downhill I had to chase and close the gap with the leaders. But luckily halfway the downhill the road went up a little bit and at that point my sports director Dimitry Fovonov was screaming at me that now was the moment. But i told him I was already racing at my limit. But just after that moment I was in the perfect position, just behind the group that was mostly looking at each other so I took my chance. I'm really happy with this victory, it gives a really good feeling and a lot of confidence for the start of my preparations for the Tour de France in a few weeks." told Jakob.
It was a149km long stage starting and finishing in Sion. With 3 climbs of the 1st category and 2 climbs of 2nd category, the riders had a hard day on the bike. At the start of the final climb, the breakaway was caught and it all came down to a small group of riders. Jakob attacked but got caught again. With 15 km to go he then attacked again for a solo finish in the streets of Sion. With his stage victory, Jakob climbed to the 4th place in General Classification.
Next up... some rest before the final preparations for Tour de Suisse and Tour de France.
Tour of Almaty - winner of stage 2
Stage 2 of the Tour of Almaty started at the Halyk Arena in Almaty and finished near the famous speed skating center Medeu.
With more or less 5 km to go, on a steep part of the final climb, Jakob launched a powerful attack. He was able to get an advantage and to keep it until the finish line, taking a nice solo victory.
- I am very happy to win today. I had some bad luck during the last few months with that crashes at the Tour de France and later at the criterium in Denmark. So, I had to do my best to recover well and to come back on a good level. What why today’s success is so important for me. We did a training on the course of the stage and on the final climb, so I knew what to expect. The team did an excellent job, supporting me during the day and chasing all attacks of the rivals behind me. Yesterday we had a tough day, but I tried to save as much energy as possible to be ready for today. Finally, everything went like we wanted. I am happy to win in the mountains, this gives me an additional confidence in myself. Besides, it is a great pleasure to get a win in Almaty, in Kazakhstan for all our fans here.- said Jakob.
Jakob wins stage 8 and the Overall Classification of the Critérium du Dauphiné
It was a super race by the Astana Pro Team guys at the Critérium du Dauphiné with Jakob at his top performance, winning stage 6, stage 8 and the Overall Classification.
Fabio Aru attacked at 50km to go on the Col de Colombier together with Alejandro Valverde, they were then retaken from the top riders, including Jakob, at the bottom of the last climb.
Race leader Richie Porte found himself well behind a lead group of rivals at the start of the final climb, it was Jakob who surged into contention for yellow on the steep gradients of the race's last mountain.
Jakob jumped clear with Quick-step rider Dan Martin with around 7 km to go, leaving Froome well behind, and then Jakob went solo to take the victory of stage 8. A massive effort in pursuit saw Richie Porte catch back up to and then pass Froome, but the Australian finished 1:15 behind Jakob. Due to the bonus seconds he earned at the finish line, Jakob took the Overall Victory of the Critérium du Dauphiné, with Richie Porte finishing 2nd and Dan Martin 3rd.
"It has been incredible, since the start everyone attacked the yellow jersey, we tried to do the same tactic as BMC, then Richie remained alone and there was a big confusion at the front until Fabio attacked and at the point the other teams had to work to close the gap. I took advantage from this situation and when in the final climb, Dan Martin attacked, I had the legs to follow him and I did. I'm super happy and proud of what i achieved, it's just great. " says Jakob.
Winner of Stage 6 - Critérium du Dauphiné
Everyone in the peloton was waiting for the first important climb of this years Critérium du Dauphiné. It took the riders up the challenging 8,7 km climb Mont du Chat with an average of 10,3 %. Jakob and his teammate Fabio Aru did the most important attacks of the day.
"We knew the climb because we tried it in the days before Dauphiné so we had the right gears on the bike and we could adjust the effort while climbing. Before the start of the climb i asked to my team mate Michael Valgren to bring us to the front and he did an extraordinary job. " said Jakob.
Jakob won the stage as he outsprinted the other 3 GC contenders after trying to escape with 1 km to go. It was a tight victory over Richie Porte.
"There's been a lot of bad luck for our team this year but finally everything seems to come together and be start to be competitive. Luckily it's now right before the Tour the France. To ride like this at the Dauphiné with two other favourites for the Tour is really nice. This victory is for Michele Scarponi but it's also for the entire team who did a great job today." says Jakob.
The new general classification sees Jakob in 3rd position at 1:15 from race leader Richie Porte.
Olympics Rio 2016
This year's Olympic road race took the riders over hard and challenging 240 kilometers trough Brazil. It was a race full of action with well deserved medal winners. " It was a super hard race, i gave it all and took the right decisions with the amazing help of my two team mates Christopher Juul Jensen and Chris Anker Sörensen. And the luck was on my side that day as well. I am super happy and proud for the silver medal for me and my country. " says the Olympic medallist.
