Welcome to Daily News, your roundup of news items from across the world of cycling. We keep this post updated throughout the week so that you can stay informed on all things bike racing, tech, industry, culture, advocacy, and more.
Here is what is making the headlines this week …
Sunday, January 26, 2025
- Wout van Aert adds CX World Champs to his winter program
- Brand and Van der Poel bring the fireworks to CX World Cup finale
- Juan Pedro López ejected from TDU for sticky bottle
- Winner’s circle: The Tour Down Under concludes, and newbies start season in style in Europe
Wout van Aert adds CX World Champs to his winter program
World Cup Maasmechelen was meant to be Wout van Aert’s final appearance of the cyclocross season, but his team announced Sunday afternoon that the Belgian will race next weekend’s CX World Championships after all.
“I’m feeling good, and my winter has gone well,” Van Aert said via the team website. “I am excited to start in such a beautiful race, and I think that this extra boost is doing me good in the lead-up to bigger goals on the road. Obviously the preparation has been very different, but I’ll give it my best.”
With Mathieu van der Poel also set to compete in Liévin, France, the cycling world will get one more duel between the storied CX rivals – or the possibility of one at least. [Visma-Lease a Bike]
Brand and Van der Poel bring the fireworks to CX World Cup finale
The UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup wrapped up in Hoogerheide, a.k.a. the GP Adrie van der Poel, a course with long history in the sport having been founded in the ’99-00 season. There was no slowing down Lucinda Brand who had already secured the series title on Saturday, the veteran Dutch rider breaking clear early to take her third World Cup win of the season.
Surprising absolutely no one, Mathieu van der Poel did exactly the same thing later in the afternoon, going solo within the first five minutes and powering to a one-minute-42-second margin of victory. It’s his seventh World Cup win on the Hoogerheide course, eight including the 2023 World Championships. Michael Vanthourenhout’s second place was plenty to seal the World Cup title ahead of Toon Aerts.
Both Brand and Van der Poel, the latter especially, have positioned themselves all the more strongly for next weekend’s World Championships.
Juan Pedro López ejected from TDU for sticky bottle
On the morning of the final stage of the Tour Down Under, Lidl-Trek was notified that their rider Juan Pedro López was the subject of an overnight decision to disqualify the young Spaniard for “irregular feeding.” That is, while chasing back to the peloton during stage 5, López was recorded taking a particularly sticky bottle from a Shimano neutral service motorbike.
It looks pretty clear from the coverage that López accepted the offer to grab on, then held tight for around 10 seconds, during which his cadence increased rapidly with the moto’s acceleration. Race juries look out for anything more than two seconds, especially where the rider clearly gains an advantage, as is evident here.
López publicly apologised shortly after his team received the notification: “I want to say sorry to everyone for my action yesterday. I made a stupid decision in the heat of the race and regret it a lot. I take responsibility for my mistake and will learn from it.”
Winner’s circle: The Tour Down Under concludes, and newbies start season in style in Europe
It was a busy Sunday in South Australia as Sam Welsford and Jhonatan Narváez wrapped up the Tour Down Under, and Clara Copponi (Lidl-Trek) scored her first win since 2022 at the inaugural Schwalbe Women’s One Day Classic.
Matt De Neef has more on the TDU’s finale and the Schwalbe Classic here at Escape Collective.
Over in Europe, the early season one-days continued in Spain, with two top puncheurs earning victory for their new teams. In Mallorca, Movistar’s Marlen Reusser defeated Mavi García (racing for the national team) on the uphill grind to the finish of the lumpy Trofeo Palma after the pair attacked from a move that established on the penultimate climb.
At the Clássica Communitat Valenciana, which includes an ascent of the popular Costa Blanca training climb the Coll de Rates, it was Tudor’s new leader Marc Hirschi who opened his season with a bang, joining a late move over the top of the final climb and getting the better of two former teammates whose strength in numbers was not enough to stifle Hirschi’s power.
Saturday, January 25, 2025
- Strade Bianche gains additional gravel sector that brings total to 81.7 km
- Marc Madiot tips hat to Jonas Vingegaard over recent comments
- David Millar believes self-policing is the way to improve safety
- Alberto Contador’s Polti-Visit Malta homing in on investment to secure future
- Out-of-contract Martijn Tusveld feels jilted by Ineos Grenadiers
- Winner’s circle: A new King of Willunga and racing returns in Europe
Strade Bianche gains additional gravel sector that brings total to 81.7 km
The race route has been confirmed six weeks out from Strade Bianche, arguably one of the most picturesque races of the season, with the addition of an extra gravel sector that brings the total distance on the Tuscan white roads to 81.7 kilometres – the total race distance for the men remains 213 km.
The extra 9.3-kilometre stretch of sterrato is called Serravalle, and though the latter half is predominantly pretty flat, it begins with a two-kilometre steady climb then a short, relatively steep descent. It sits just before the memorable Sante Maria sector, that is, the launchpad for Tadej Pogačar’s solo race-winning move in 2024.
The Serravalle sector has also been added to the women’s race, bringing the distance on white roads to around 60 of the total 136 km.
Marc Madiot tips hat to Jonas Vingegaard over recent comments
Groupama-FDJ team boss Marc Madiot has praised rival team leader Jonas Vingegaard over the rider’s recent call on WADA to ban carbon monoxide.
“I would like to congratulate him because it’s rare for a great rider of his level to speak out and take a stand, especially in this area,” Madiot told Eurosport “Whether he used it or not, that’s not the problem. What matters is that people don’t use it anymore … It must be banned, I have been saying so for several months.” [Eurosport.fr]
David Millar believes self-policing is the way to improve safety
Ex pro-cum-commentator David Millar is the latest to comment on the great safety debate. Speaking to CyclingNews after the closure of his CHPT3 apparel brand, Millar praised some of the UCI’s steps to improve rider safety, and shared some optimism around the yellow card system, but while he stopped short of apportioning blame, Millar also pointed to necessary mindset changes within the peloton itself.
“I think the biggest thing that can help cycling is a cultural shift within the peloton to being very respectful of each other,” Millar said. “There are so many variables that are uncontrollable, but the one that is controllable is how the peloton rides, how the riders treat each other, [and] the risks they take … So I think the biggest one is just this constant awareness.
“A little bit like doping [in the latter part of his career – ed.], and how we created this anti-doping culture where the peloton was self-policing, it became [that] there was no more Omerta. Everyone keeps an eye on each other. You will speak out if you’ve got suspicions.” [Cyclingnews]
Alberto Contador’s Polti-Visit Malta homing in on investment to secure future
Polti-Visit Malta, the Italian ProTeam owned and run by brothers Francisco (Fran) and Alberto Contador, and Ivan Basso, is close to securing private equity investment to ensure their future.
The Contadors’ Aurum bike brand is apparently also wrapped up in the potential investment, which would take a significant share, but would not change the working structure of the team as they seek to position themselves better in the peloton alongside bigger-budget ProTeams like Q36.5, Tudor, TotalEnergies and others with which Polti-Visit Malta competes for crucial WorldTour wild cards.
Out-of-contract Martijn Tusveld feels jilted by Ineos Grenadiers
After missing out on an extension with former team DSM-firmenich and failing to find a new home, 31-year-old Martijn Tusveld had been in talks to fill a vacant spot at Ineos Grenadiers until mid-January, when the British team told him they were sticking to their 2025 roster, only to announce Caleb Ewan’s signing shortly after.
As an all-rounder and dependable workhorse, Tusveld is neither a replacement for Tom Pidcock nor equal to Ewan’s talents, but with just 27 riders (of max. 30) confirmed while Tusveld was talking to them, the Dutchman had been optimistic, but he’s now resigned to life beyond the peloton. He now plans on working towards “an adult job” following the completion of his psychology studies and a possible future in sports psychology, specifically working with young cyclists. [Wielerflits]
Winner’s circle: A new King of Willunga and racing returns in Europe
As racing continues in Australia with Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) taking the Tour Down Under’s ochre jersey on an action-packed Queen Stage – read more here at Escape Collective – and Tiffany Cromwell and Brendan Johnston won the first major gravel event of the year at RADL GRVL, things are finally beginning to pick back up over in Europe.
After last week’s balmy Benidorm round, the CX World Cup had its penultimate outing on a particularly grimy Maasmechelen course, with Blanka Vas and Mathieu van der Poel taking victory in their respective events, Van der Poel defeating the field – and Wout van Aert in his final outing of the CX season – despite still nursing the broken rib picked up at the end of December.
Meanwhile, road racing made its return to Europe with the opening of the year’s micro-classics in Spain. EF Education-Oatly’s season continued as it began in Australia with Lotta Henttala’s sprint victory at the first of the Challenge Mallorca women’s races. And across the Balearic Sea in Valencia, the men’s peloton got their first taste at the lumpy Gran Premio Castellón, won by 20-year-old Portuguese rider António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
Friday, January 24, 2025
- SD Worx-ProTime sees Kopecky as the team’s ‘absolute leader’ for the Tour
- Rotor founders’ new brand QO launches carbon cranksets
- Campagnolo reveals new Shamal Dual Profile wheels
- EU renews anti-dumping duties on Chinese e-bikes
- Coquard sprints to victory on stage 4 of the Tour Down Under
SD Worx-ProTime sees Kopecky as their ‘absolute leader’ for the Tour
As ever, SD Worx-ProTime manager Danny Stam has plenty of talents to manage this season. Even though Demi Vollering has left the team for FDJ-Suez, superstar Anna van der Breggen has decided to come out of retirement, leaving the team with some interesting choices when it comes to calendars and leadership.
Van der Breggen is expected to race the Tour but at a team media day this week, Stam clarified that the team sees Lotte Kopecky as the “absolute leader” for the Tour, as Sporza reports.
Stam sees Van der Breggen as a potential contender and acknowledged that “we have two riders who should be good enough to compete with the top in the Tour,” but he also pointed out that “Anna has already indicated that she might want to ride entirely in Lotte’s service.”
Kopecky, for her part, will get her season underway at the first ever women’s Milan-San Remo, building toward a major spring goal of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. [Sporza]
Rotor founders’ new brand QO launches carbon cranksets
QO, a new premium bike component brand founded by the original minds behind Rotor – Pablo Carrasco and Ignacio Estellés – has debuted a range of carbon cranksets for road, gravel, and mountain bikes.
The cranksets come with multiple chainring options, crank lengths from 160mm up and have details such as “aero watt saver dimples” for road models to improve aerodynamics and KevTex reinforcement on mountain bike cranks for added durability. These will be available starting March 2025 through distributors and OEM partners in Europe, Asia, and the UK, with prices beginning at €550. QO has also hinted at more component launches later this year. [QO]
Campagnolo reveals new Shamal Dual Profile wheels
Campagnolo has introduced a new set of Shamal Dual Profile wheels with a wavy 40/45 deep rim profile. The wheels continue to use Campagnolo’s G3 lacing system – two spokes on the high-load side and one on the opposite, placed in groups of three – and aluminium hubs with cup-and-cone bearings. The rim has a hooked rim bed that the brand says is optimal for 28mm and wider tires.
Campagnolo claims the pair tips the scales at 1,480g and prices start at €1,890 / US$2,085 / £1,645. [Campagnolo]
EU renews anti-dumping duties on Chinese e-bikes
The European Union has extended anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Chinese e-bikes for another five years to protect local manufacturing from unfair competition. Originally introduced in 2019, the anti-dumping duties range from 9.9% for Giant Electric Vehicles to 70.1% for non-cooperative companies.
Countervailing duties on government subsidies of up to 17.2% were also extended, as the EU review concluded that the Chinese e-bike production and related industries, such as steel and aluminum continue to be “significantly distorted.”
Coquard sprints to victory on stage 4 of the Tour Down Under
Two years after he took his first ever WorldTour win in a stage at the Tour Down Under, Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) has won again in Australia, sprinting victory on Friday’s stage 4. The Frenchman pipped Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates XRG) in Victor Harbor.
Matt de Neef has more on the stage here at Escape Collective.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
- Jorgenson says he turned down a chance to lead Visma at the Giro
- Caleb Ewan joins Ineos
- Romo takes the Tour Down Under lead with stage 3 win
- Wahoo products are eligible for purchase with HSA/FSA funds
Jorgenson says he turned down a chance to lead Visma at the Giro
Matteo Jorgenson has told Sporza that a Grand Tour win is a career objective for him, but also that he is trying to take his time in pursuit of that goal, apparently even turning down a chance to lead Visma-Lease a Bike at the Giro d’Italia this year.
“I have set myself the goal of winning a Grand Tour one day”, Jorgenson told Sporza. “I did ask the team for time and patience for that.”
“I was already offered the opportunity to be the leader in the Giro this year, but I didn’t feel ready for that yet.”
Jorgenson took eighth overall at the 2024 Tour de France while riding in support of Jonas Vingegaard, and his busy 2025 calendar will likely see him return to the French Grand Tour to support his Danish teammate again. [Sporza]
Caleb Ewan joins Ineos
Shortly after Geraint Thomas hinted at the possibility, Caleb Ewan has officially signed with the Ineos Grenadiers. The 30-year-old Australian, an 11-time time Grand Tour stage winner, is joining the British outfit on a one-year deal, having left Jayco-AlUla before his contract with that team was up.
Jonny Long has more on the transfer here at Escape Collective.
Romo takes the Tour Down Under lead with stage 3 win
Javier Romo (Movistar) soloed to victory on a hilly stage 3 of the Tour Down Under, riding into the race leader’s jersey in the process. The 26-year-old Spaniard went clear from a reduced lead group in the finale and held on to win five seconds ahead of Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
Matt de Neef has more on the stage here at Escape Collective.
Wahoo products are eligible for purchase with HSA/FSA funds
Wahoo Fitness has announced that many of its products can now be purchased using Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), thereby giving US customers the chance to use pre-tax dollars on their purchases.
A number of Wahoo’s products, such as the Kickr indoor training range, are eligible for the new payment method, which Wahoo has set up in partnership with Truemed – an American HSA/FSA fund platform focused on health and fitness purchases.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
- Alejandro Valverde has reportedly been chosen as Spain’s next national coach
- Chris Hamilton recovering after collarbone surgery woes
- The Maryland Cycling Classic will return with a women’s race
- Tudor and Q36.5 will be at Liège
- Welsford doubles up at the Tour Down Under
Alejandro Valverde has reportedly been chosen as Spain’s next national coach
El País reports that Alejandro Valverde will take over as the new national selector for the Spanish cycling federation in a deal that will last at least through the autumn of 2028. The former world road champ had been in talks with the federation for the past few months, with Oscar Freire as another potential candidate for the job.
According to El País, Valverde and the federation are finalizing the terms of an arrangement that will allow him to continue working in some capacity with Movistar. Although the 44-year-old Spaniard retired from the pro road peloton at the end of the 2022 season, he has continued to be part of the team as its marquee gravel rider and as an ambassador, which seems set to continue even as he takes over coaching the Spanish national team. [El País]
Chris Hamilton recovering after collarbone surgery woes
Although he had initially hoped to race in Australia this January, Chris Hamilton (Picnic-PostNL) is instead recovering from an unpleasant experience that followed a surgery to repair a broken collarbone originally suffered at a December training camp. As Hamilton wrote on social media, he and his surgically repaired collarbone flew to Australia ahead of the racing, but then things went awry.
“A screw started to come loose from my new collar bone plate, which then led to the plate lifting from the bone,” he wrote. “Litterly [sic] about to burst through the skin, (which feels as horrible as it sounds) so had to get it operated on immediately in Adelaide.”
The operation was successful and Hamilton now expects to return to racing in March. [Instagram]
The Maryland Cycling Classic will return with a women’s race
After the 2024 edition of the race was cancelled in the aftermath of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, the Maryland Cycling Classic will be back in 2025, and organizers have announced that it will feature a women’s race in addition to the men’s event.
The 2025 races will take place on September 6, starting in Baltimore County just outside the city and finishing in the Inner Harbor.
Tudor and Q36.5 will be at Liège
Tudor’s new signings Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi and Q36.5’s marquee acquisition Tom Pidcock are all potential Ardennes Classic contenders who nevertheless must rely on wildcard invitations to participate in the hilly races in April. Fortunately for the punchy trio racing in the second division, the ASO announced on Wednesday that Tudor and Q36.5 have both been invited to La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Belgian squad Wagner Bazin WB also received invitations to both races, with Flanders Baloise getting an invitation to La Flèche Wallonne and TotalEnergies to Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Welsford doubles up at Tour Down Under
Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) took his second straight win on Wednesday’s stage 2 of the Tour Down Under, sprinting to victory in Tanunda ahead of Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis). Welsford was set up for the sprint by the lead-out work of teammate Danny van Poppel, although the Dutchman was later handed a yellow card for swinging off from his lead-out into the path of other riders, effectively taking them out of contention for the sprint.
Matt de Neef has more on the stage here at Escape Collective.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
- Rouvy acquires FulGaz and partners with Ironman
- Welsford wins stage 1 of the Tour Down Under
- Van Baarle suffers broken collarbone in crash
- Pashley Cycles introduces Roadfinder drop-bar bike range
- 4iiii expands power meter installation program in Europe
Rouvy acquires FulGaz and partners with Ironman
Indoor cycling platform Rouvy has acquired FulGaz, a rival app previously owned by The Ironman Group. The move comes alongside announcing a multi-year partnership between the Czech company and Ironman, making it the official digital sports platform of the global Ironman and Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Series.
For now, the purchase means that Rouvy will integrate 20 of FulGaz’s most popular courses into its platform and users will also get access to a library of Ironman and Ironman 70.3 routes. Rouvy CEO Petr Samek also confirmed that the two platforms will be merged together at a later date: “We will spend some time fully assessing the situation, listening to views and making sure all FulGaz users can enjoy a smooth and satisfactory experience but we think it makes no sense to keep both platforms open and will eventually be transitioning FulGaz to Rouvy.” [Rouvy]
Welsford wins stage 1 of the Tour Down Under
Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) sprinted to victory on the opening stage of the Tour Down Under. The 29-year-old Australian went long in the finale and held on to take the win ahead of Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Matthew Walls (Groupama-FDJ), and he will take the leader’s jersey into stage 2.
You can read more about the sprint here at Escape Collective.
Van Baarle suffers broken collarbone in crash
Dylvan van Baarle was one of several riders who hit the deck in a late crash in the opening stage of the Tour Down Under, and Visma-Lease a Bike has since confirmed that the former Paris-Roubaix winner sustained a collarbone fracture in the fall.
The latest setback comes on the heels of a frustrating 2024 campaign in which Van Baarle was also beset by illness and injury, including a broken collarbone suffered at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and a fractured pelvis at the Vuelta a España.
Pashley Cycles introduces Roadfinder drop-bar bike range
British bike brand Pashley Cycles has introduced a new Roadfinder range of “performance-focused” drop-bar steel bikes. The lineup includes four bikes in different specs for both road and gravel, with tire clearance up to 45mm.
The Roadfinder models come with modern features such as internal cable routing and 3D-printed lugs, but like the heritage brand’s city bikes, the new models are handmade at Stratford-upon-Avon workshop, where Pashley has been making bikes for nearly a century. Prices start at US$3,995/£2,795.
4iiii expands power meter installation program in Europe
Canadian power meter brand 4iiii has expanded its Factory Install Program to Benelux, the United Kingdom, and Germany, allowing customers to get dual-sided 4iiii power meters installed locally on their existing Shimano cranksets. The service was previously only available for single-sided power meters in Europe, and dual-sided cranks were sent to Canada. 4iiii also said plans are in place to extend the program to Spain and Portugal in the near future.
Monday, January 20, 2025
- Thomas has heard ‘rumors’ of Ewan interest
- The Vuelta a España Femenina will start in Barcelona
- Belgian coach Pauwels: Evenepoel and Van Aert can work together to beat Pogačar at Worlds
- Fisher-Black: ‘Too young to settle into’ domestique role
Thomas has heard ‘rumors’ of Ewan interest
Geraint Thomas is in favor of bringing Caleb Ewan into the fold at the Ineos Grenadiers. As uncertainty remains over the Australian sprinter’s status with Jayco-AlUla, Thomas was asked about Ewan at a press conference ahead of the Tour Down Under, as Cyclingnews reports.
“He’s a good mate, and if he did come here, that would be great,” Thomas said. “Because obviously we lack a sprinter, and 40% of races end in a sprint, don’t they? So it would be handy to have. Hopefully it happens, but I’ve just heard rumors, so we’ll see.”
For now, it remains to be seen if Ewan is indeed set for a change of scenery, but he has been absent from the official roster page on Jayco’s website now for weeks. [Cyclingnews]
The Vuelta a España Femenina will start in Barcelona
Organizers of the women’s Vuelta a España have confirmed that this year’s race will get underway in Barcelona. More details of the route are expected next month, but local media outlets are already reporting that the second stage will also take place in Catalonia in the region around the capital. [El Periódico]
Belgian coach Pauwels: Evenepoel and Van Aert can work together to beat Pogačar at Worlds
New Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels is hoping his team can leverage its collective firepower at the upcoming Rwanda World Championships in an effort to beat Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian will be a favorite on a hilly Worlds course, but Belgium will have strength in numbers – if Pauwels can manage to get them all on the same page, which has not always been the case in past editions of the world championships.
“[Remco] Evenepoel and [Wout] van Aert themselves also realize that they can simply function complementarily,” he said an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. “Thanks to the presence of Remco, Wout can race a bit more defensively.” [Het Nieuwsblad]
Fisher-Black: ‘Too young to settle into’ domestique role
Finn Fisher-Black has reflected on his time at UAE Team Emirates, his departure from the squad, and his move to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in an interview with Rouleur.
“UAE just had an unbelievable amount of talent. Every year they just bring more and more in. When you’re there for a few years, you start to fit into this mould of what the team expects you to be and you start to believe it,” he said. “I was meant to go to races as a helper a lot of the time, but I’m only 23 and I think I’m too young to settle into that.” [Rouleur]
Did we do a good job with this story?