Now that first short stage races are done and dusted, very dusty in the case of Valencia stage 3, Spencer Martin runs his eye over the action in Spain and Bessges in France to give us the ‘Ten Takeaways’ for the season to come.– This article is an excerpt from the Beyond the Peloton newsletter. Sign up here for full access. –A storming ride from Benjamin Thomas in the Bessges TT to hold the overall leadThe first European stage races of the 2022 pro cycling season wrapped up this past weekend, with BORA-hansgrohes Aleksandr Vlasov taking the overall title at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana ahead of Quick-Steps Remco Evenepoel and Ineos Carlos Rodriguez, while across the Pyrenees, Cofidis Benjamin Thomas took overall top honors at toile de Bessges ahead of EFs Alberto Bettiol and Uno-Xs young breakout star Tobias Halland Johannessen.While it can be incredibly difficult to parse the outcomes of these early-season races for useful information, the following takeaways from the past weekend could give us clues about how the more important races looming later this season will play out.Vlasov was victorious on the gravelTen Takeaways:1) Aleksandr Vlasov gets his biggest, and first, stage racing win of his professional career. The 25-year-old Russian showed flashes of brilliance at Astana but always seemed to struggle under the weight of leadership.But, his performances to limit his losses to Remco Evenepoel on stage 1 and then to strike back over the gravel on stage 3 were immensely impressive and show…
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