65 races i loved in 2022 cycling season - part 2/13.

2022 was the year when I got into a lifelong marriage with cycling. I watched and followed more races than ever before, tried to write about as many as I could (only time will tell how successful I was in doing so), and immersed myself in all the beautiful and not so beautiful things that this whole world has given me. In that respect, 2022 was a successful year, as there were plenty of good races/memorable wins to recall now, at the end of the season, creating some pleasant moments for all fans.

In this 13-part series, I bring you a brief recap of the top 65 races for me this year, with a few personal experiences that I hope you can relate to. These stages come to your dining table from all categories, all over the world... Let's see who booked their places in the second part.

6. Tour de France - Stage 12.

Winner: Thomas Pidcock

That Thursday with the Alpe d'Huez... we were on the heels of a day that marked a profound impact on the race and, as it turned out, on the second half of the 2022 season. Not many people thought that anything extra could happen here on this hot day - even if riders were going up a legendary mountain.

But Tom Pidcock thought differently. He proved that he was one of, if not the best bike handler in the field, with the descent from Galibier one of the best of all time. The fact that he still had the strength to attack and ride an 11-kilometre solo after that, amidst the fury of some 800,000 crazy fans... I hate to use clichés, but he really wanted it the most. And by breaking away with Chris Froome, and ultimately him being one of the last ones to be distanced, Pidcock symbolically marked one of the definitive generational changes in British cycling.

7. Tour de France - Stage 5.

Winner: Simon Clarke

You can argue whether cobblestones have their place on the Grand Tour... but you can't argue whether they bring exciting stages. Stage 5 of this year's Tour was a real classic, and it didn't even need rain. All it took was a very determined and successful breakaway, a Tadej Pogacar in superb form, a Jumbo-Visma in search of himself (literally)... and this was the stage where they unfortunately lost Primoz Roglic for the second year in a row in such a stage of the Tour when real events were still well ahead of us...

and needed the two protagonists. Simon Clarke, who was given a last-ditch rescue to save his career by Israel, and Taco van der Hoorn, who stole everyone's hearts with his uncompromising, endless fighting ability. In the end, the Australian won, but it is fair to say that the winner of the day was in fact the sport as a whole.

8. U23 Worlds'

Winner: Yevgeniy Fedorov

To be honest, every year I look forward to the U23 road race at the World Championships the most. Emerging talents, bonkers competitions, usually unpredictable winner. Add a continent to that, which hasn't had a pro race since January 2019, a huge monsoon-like rainfall and you have absolute chaos. This year's U23 Road Race brought the unexpected, brought crazy attacks, and

while everyone expected a Belgian-Dutch battle for first place, in the end it was a Czech and a Kazakh who came out on top. And even though everyone was guessing Vacek, at the end of such a mentally long race, one or two leg bumps can make the difference. And, let's face it, Fedorov did everything damn well. He knew what his strengths were, he knew he had to go for the gold, and he executed it to such a high standard that it earned him a rainbow jersey and possibly a lifetime contract extension with Astana.

9. Mont Ventoux Denivele Challenge

Winner: Ruben Guerreiro

Somehow I feel the same every year about this competition... it's okay, it's good to have it, but that it's not about anything else, than fishing for more points to avoid elimination. That's what EF and Ruben Guerreiro, who was in top form in June, did when he was the first to reach the top of Bald Mountain. However, I have to address how much EF have mismanaged the Portuguese star's season. They took him to the big races when he was out of form, and they didn't take him to almost any prestigious events when he had the absolute boogie in his legs. Will that change at Movistar? Knowing Unzué, not entirely sure. But he has been given an opportunity that I hope he will take.

10. Ruta del Sol - Stage 1.

Winner: Rune Herregodts

I had a lot of trouble with this race, but I finally decided to put it in, perhaps because it was one of those very special occasions when 6 non-World Tour riders got managed to arrive home succesfully from a breakaway. The end was scandalous, I remember Bassett and Herregodts elbowing each other, and I didn't know how to judge that at the time... but then Rune proved many times during the season that he very much deserved this win. He will have an amazingly good place at Intermarche next year, I can't imagine how much he can still achieve in his career under Aike Visbeek's guidance.