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 …
Saturday, March 22, 2025
- Geraint Thomas on UK Grand Départ: 'I’ll be there, just maybe with a beer!'
- Prudhomme optimistic that free coverage will return to UK in 2027, for the Grand Départs
- Arkéa-B&B Hotels show off special edition jersey to celebrate Bianchi at Milan-San Remo
- Winner’s Circle: Wiebes and Van der Poel take thrilling Milan-San Remo titles
Geraint Thomas on UK Grand Départ: 'I'll be there, just maybe with a beer!'
Of the many active British cyclists quizzed about the recent announcement that the Tour de France will start in Edinburgh in 2027, then visit England and Wales before returning to the race’s homeland, Geraint Thomas is least – read: not – likely to race. But that has not stopped the questions as to whether he could be tempted to stick around.
“Two more years is a bit long, so no…,” Thomas told media at the start of Milan-San Remo on Saturday. “Hopefully I’ll be there, just maybe with a beer and just watching on the side of the road.”
Prudhomme optimistic that free coverage will return to UK in 2027, for the Grand Départs
The 2025 Tour de France is set to be the last edition that will be shown on free-to-air TV in the UK with ITV’s contract ending this summer, a reality that is all the more bitter to swallow considering the recent price hike with TNT. This subject resurfaced this past week with the official announcement of the Tour’s return to British shores for the Grand Départs of both men’s and women’s races in 2027.
Race organiser Christian Prudhomme, however, appears optimistic that there may be at least some free coverage for UK viewers in the future.
“There will be discussions, of course,” Prudhomme said in Edinburgh on Wednesday. “But I do hope - and I do believe - that the stages will be live and free-to-air in 2027 in the UK. There will be discussions and we're optimistic.” [Cycling Weekly]
Arkéa-B&B Hotels show off special edition jersey to celebrate Bianchi at Milan-San Remo
French WorldTeam Arkéa-B&B Hotels lined up at Milan-San Remo in a special edition jersey on Saturday morning. Designed to celebrate 140 years of Bianchi, their bike sponsor’s iconic celeste colour is “intertwined” with the team’s distinctive red and black to create a striking collector’s edition jersey.
Racing without any real contenders, the French team sought out two tickets for the breakaway via Mathis Le Berre and Alessandro Verre, although sadly their new jerseys were covered up by their usual rain capes for about half the race. [Instagram]
Winner's Circle: Wiebes and Van der Poel take thrilling Milan-San Remo titles
The first Saturday after the Spring Equinox saw the first Monument of the season with Milan-San Remo, and the first edition of the revived women’s edition.
SD Worx-Protime was expected to dominate, not least for the season debut of world champion Lotte Kopecky, and they delivered despite the wealth of other contenders. The race borrowed from the classic Milan-San Remo playbook with attempts on both climbs and descents, but with a select group making it to the finish and Kopecky on hand to close down a late attack from Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), Lorena Wiebes had only to finish it off, and finish it she did.
In the men’s race, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was expected to attack earlier than is typical of the longest one-day event on the calendar, and after a thinning-out effort from his teammates, the world champion made his first attack on the Cipressa, breaking away with fellow pre-race favourites Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers). The Italian struggled in the face of repeated attacks on the Poggio, but the trio was all back together for the sprint where Van der Poel triumphed to secure a third-consecutive win for Alpecin-Deceuninck, ahead of Ganna in second and Pogačar third. Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) led a large chase group home 43 seconds later.
Read the full race reports for the women’s and men’s races here at Escape Collective.
Friday, March 21, 2025
- Komoot acquired by tech company Bending Spoons
- Bianchi marks 140 years with limited-edition bikes
- Van der Poel: 'I need to be at 110% to beat Pogačar'
- Monster Energy and broccoli fueled Pedersen at Paris-Nice
- Winner's Circle: Theuns gets his first win since 2021
Komoot acquired by tech company Bending Spoons
Route-planning app Komoot has been acquired by Italian technology firm Bending Spoons, which has previously taken over companies such as Evernote, Meetup, and WeTransfer. The press release announcing the deal provided no details about the future of Komoot’s staff or service, but as DC Rainmaker reports, Bending Spoons has drawn scrutiny in the past for laying off large numbers of employees at companies it has acquired.
The acquisition comes just days after Komoot introduced a paywall, restricting route syncing with third-party devices to Premium subscribers.
Bianchi marks 140 years with limited-edition bikes
To celebrate its 140th anniversary, Bianchi has revealed two limited edition bikes: the Oltre RC 140 Anniversario and the Specialissima RC 140 Anniversario. Only 140 numbered versions of each model will be available worldwide.
Both bikes, the aero-focused Oltre RC and the lightweight Specialissima RC come with special photochromic paint inspired by amethyst gemstones and Bianchi’s celeste detailing. The Oltre RC costs €13,999 (US$15,200), and the Specialissima RC goes for €12,699 (US$13,800), each specced with Shimano Dura Ace Di2 groupsets and Reparto Corse components. [Bianchi]
Van der Poel: 'I need to be at 110% to beat Pogačar'
As Cyclingnews reports, 2023 Milan-San Remo winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is gearing up for another run at La Classicissima with the perspective of a veteran racer, saying that now that he has "accomplished almost every goal," he sees "everything that comes now" as a "bonus."
That said, he is still very much interested in adding another San Remo title to his palmares, even if taking on Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) will be a tall order: "I'm well aware that I need to be at 110% to beat Pogačar. That's always good motivation." [Cyclingnews]
Monster Energy and broccoli fueled Pedersen at Paris-Nice
On the podcast Lang Distance that he co-hosts with former Trek-Segafredo teammate Jakob Egholm, Mads Pedersen gave some insight into what fueled his impressive performance at Paris-Nice. For one thing, he is now using a performance drink called Nomio, which is made largely from broccoli. To complement that, he has turned to an energy drink.
"Every day during Paris-Nice, I drank a Monster," Pedersen said. "That is, during the race. Just a 'Monner' in the can with three hours left." [Lang Distance]
Winner's Circle: Theuns gets his first win since 2021
In other Lidl-Trek news, Edward Theuns took his first win in four years at the Bredene Koksijde Classic on Friday. The 33-year-old Belgian topped Luke Lamperti (Soudal-Quick-Step) and Nils Eekhoff (Picnic-PostNL) in a sprint from a small group of attackers.
Thursday, March 20, 2025
- Philipsen will race San Remo despite Nokere Koerse crash
- Del Toro fined and docked UCI points for open jersey
- David Lappartient will not be the next president of the IOC
- POC introduces two new helmets with strong safety credentials
- Winner's Circle: Brennan wins GP Denain
Philipsen will race San Remo despite Nokere Koerse crash
Alpecin-Deceuninck said on Thursday that Jasper Philipsen would still make his planned start at Milan-San Remo – which he won last year – even after crashing heavily at Nokere Koerse on Wednesday.
"The crash obviously had a huge impact on my body," Jasper said in a statement released by the team. "With a lot of abrasions and a few stitches, it won’t be easy, but I want to give it a shot. And if I don’t feel great in the final, I will of course support the team."
Fortunately for Alpecin, even if the defending champion is not quite at his best on Saturday, the squad could look to 2023 winner Mathieu van der Poel to hunt the three-peat.
Del Toro fined and docked UCI points for open jersey
Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) won Milano-Torino on Wednesday but his UCI points total for the year will not reflect that success – and his wallet will take a hit as well – as the UCI has penalized him for crossing the finish line with an open jersey.
The rising star took a bow without zipping up his jersey at the finish line on the Superga, and the UCI decided that such conduct did "damage to the image of sport" in violation with UCI rules and thus fined him 200 Swiss francs and denied him any UCI points for the win.
David Lappartient will not be the next president of the IOC
David Lappartient had hoped to step up from his current role as UCI president to a new one leading the International Olympic Committee, but that won't be happening. The election to replace Thomas Bach as IOC president took place on Thursday, and former Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry took a win on the first ballot.
In a field of seven candidates, Coventry received 49 of 97 total votes, just over a majority. Lappartient received only four votes.
POC introduces two new helmets with strong safety credentials
Swedish helmet and apparel brand POC has introduced two new helmets to its lineup: the Cytal, a road/gravel helmet, and the Cularis, which is a trail helmet that is now ranked number one in Virginia Tech’s 2025 helmet safety ratings.
The Cytal takes its design from the Cytal Carbon that was released last year and features the same integrated “wing” at the top part of the helmet to aid airflow and reduce drag. The Cularis draws on designs from the brand’s previous MTB helmets Tectal and Kortal and has a Fidlock buckle and a breakaway peak. Both helmets come with Mips Air Node technology.
The Cytal is priced at US$330/€320/£290, while the Cularis comes in at US$240/€230/£200. [POC]
Winner's Circle: Brennan wins GP Denain
Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) proved fastest in a sprint out of a small group to win Thursday's Grand Prix de Denain-Porte du Hainaut. The 19-year-old Brit bested Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R) in Denain.
Over at the Cape Epic, the Wilier-Vittoria duo of Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto and the Scott-SRAM pairing of Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo continue to do battle. Braidot and Avondetto narrowly pipped Schurter and Colombo for the second day in a row on stage 4, while Buff Megamo 1's Wout Alleman and Martin Stošek finished just behind in third. Schurter and Colombo still lead Braidot and Avondetto in the general classification.
On the women's side, Annika Langvad and Sofia Gómez Villafañe (Toyota-Specialized) took another win, crossing the stage 4 finish line 50 seconds ahead of Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM) with Bianca Haw and Hayley Preen (TitanRacing SE Honeycomb) in third. Langvad and Gómez Villafañe lead the overall standings by nearly 15 minutes.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
- Vingegaard will miss Catalunya after Paris-Nice crash
- Philipsen crashes heavily at Nokere Koerse
- Magnier will miss Milan-San Remo after Tirreno crashes
- Braidot and Avondetto, Langvad and Gómez Villafañe take shortened Cape Epic stage 3
- Winner's Circle: Del Toro takes Milano-Torino, Lach and Eekhoff win at Nokere Koerse
Vingegaard will miss Catalunya after Paris-Nice crash
Jonas Vingegaard will miss the Volta a Catalunya as he continues to recover after his crash at Paris-Nice, Visma-Lease a Bike said on Wednesday.
The two-time Tour de France winner was wearing the race leader's jersey at the French stage race when he hit the deck early on stage 5 and injured his hand, and he did not start the following day's stage. He had been scheduled to make his next race start at the Volta a Catalunya, which gets underway on Monday, but his team has said that he "has not yet recovered sufficiently from his crash in Paris-Nice."
Visma will nonetheless have some GC firepower in eastern Spain next week, with both Sepp Kuss and Simon Yates slated to race.
Philipsen crashes heavily at Nokere Koerse
Just three days before Milan-San Remo, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) left Nokere Koerse in an ambulance after crashing hard inside the final kilometer.
You can read more about the story here at Escape Collective.
Magnier will miss Milan-San Remo after Tirreno crashes
In yet even more crash-related news, Soudal-QuickStep had planned to back Paul Magnier at Milan-San Remo, but the Belgian squad will have to change tack after announcing that the fast-finishing Frenchman will miss the race.
Magnier crashed early on the final day of Tirreno-Adriatico and then crashed again in the final sprint. Although he did not sustain any broken bones, Magnier was left with serious bruising and will thus rest instead of heading to the season's first Monument. Soudal-QuickStep has not yet announced who will race in his stead.
Braidot and Avondetto, Langvad and Gómez Villafañe take shortened Cape Epic stage 3
Amid 'extreme heat' in South Africa's Western Cape, Cape Epic organizers shortened Wednesday's stage 3, where the Wilier-Vittoria pairing of Luca Braidot and Simonte Avondetto narrowly bested Scott-SRAM's Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo in the men's race, while the Toyota-Specialized duo of Annika Langvad and Sofia Gómez Villafañe again topped the women's field.
Schurter and Colombo still hold onto a lead of 43 seconds over Braidot and Avondetto in the men's standings, while Langvad and Gómez Villafañe have a commanding margin of nearly 14 minutes in the women's standings. As if that weren't impressive enough, Langvad is racing just seven months after giving birth to a daughter – who is at the event, as Langvad explained on social media. [Instagram]
Winner's Circle: Del Toro takes Milano-Torino, Lach and Eekhoff win at Nokere Koerse
Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) scored the first pro one-day win of his career on Wednesday at Milano-Torino, out-kicking the field on the Superga finishing climb. Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) rode to second on the day with Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) in third.
Meanwhile, over at Nokere Koerse, Nils Eekhoff (Picnic-PostNL) powered to his own first ever one-day win as a pro, besting Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5) and Luke Lamperti (Soudal-QuickStep). The win comes just a month and a half after he suffered a fractured jaw and a broken tooth in a crash at the AlUla Tour.
On the women's side, Marta Lach (SD Worx-ProTime) proved strongest on the uphill finish into Nokere, topping Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility) and Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ).
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
- Richard Plugge does not want more teams in the Grand Tours
- Bike chains are about to get more expensive in the US
- Giant profits dropped 60% last year
- Faulkner will start her season at Milan-San Remo
- British organizer plans to bring a pro road race to Colorado
- Winner's Circle: Alleman and Stošek, Langvad and Gómez Villafañe take stage 2 wins at Cape Epic
Richard Plugge does not want more teams in the Grand Tours
Visma-Lease a Bike boss Richard Plugge is not a fan of making room for an additional wild card invite at the Grand Tours this year, an idea currently under consideration by the UCI.
“I have nothing against any team, but giving out an extra wildcard would be strange for the value of the WorldTour," he said, according to Sporza. "This means that suddenly a team can be added that can score a lot of points. That can be a big problem for the WorldTour teams at the bottom of the team rankings."
Plugge pointed to safety concerns as another reason not to add eight riders to the Grand Tour peloton, and criticized the idea to, as he put it, "change the rules of the game during the game."
"I find it remarkable that this is even being considered," he said. [Sporza]
Bike chains are about to get more expensive in the US
Under new tariffs that went into effect in the US last week, bicycle chains are now subject to at least a 25% import duty, according to Bicycle Retailer. The duty falls most heavily on Chinese-made chains, which due to a series of stacked tariffs now come with a 70% import duty. But according to BR&IN, the US imported less than $500,000 in Chinese-made chains.
Imports come chiefly from Portugal, where SRAM has its main chain factory (US$5.4 million), Japan ($4.2 million, mostly from Shimano and Izumi Chain), and Taiwan ($2.7 million). Those chains will be subject to a 25% duty. The steel and import tariffs will also likely affect other imported products made chiefly of those materials, such as bike locks, racks, and possibly some indoor trainers. [Bicycle Retailer]
Giant profits dropped 60% last year
Giant Group’s operating profits dropped more than 60% in 2024, hit by NT$1.9 billion (US$57.6 million) in inventory losses due to heavy discounting. This left the Taiwanese brand’s full-year revenue down 7.4% from 2023, and net profit after tax was down 62.8% to NT$1.26 billion (US$38.4 million).
This is the second consecutive year Giant has reported a drop in profits, but it expects things to recover in 2025 if overstocking eases and consumer demand rebounds.
Faulkner will start her season at Milan-San Remo
After crashing and suffering a concussion in December in training, Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) says she is "finally feeling better" and will make her 2025 season debut at the revived women's Milan-San Remo.
"Normally, I’d come in and have a good classics campaign and this year I’m actually sitting out of the cobbled classics and focusing more on the Ardennes and the Vuelta," she said. "So, Milano-Sanremo will be a really good chance for me to get back in the peloton a little bit later than normal."
British organizer plans to bring a pro road race to Colorado
As Cycling Weekly reports, a British company called Infinity Events has announced its intentions to launch a pro road race in Colorado for 2026. The proposed race would run for five stages in September and would add to a slate of North American road races – like the Canadian GPs and the Maryland Classic – that already draw European road talents across the ocean.
Organizers reportedly have the support of USA Cycling and Colorado governor Jared Polis as well. USA Cycling CEO Brendan Quirk acknowledged that race organizers have faced challenges staging events in the United States in recent years, with the now defunct Colorado Classic just the latest UCI-registered Colorado event to disappear in 2019. He also said, however, that "commercially, if it can be pitched right, companies are ready to look at it again." [Cycling Weekly]
Winner's Circle: Alleman and Stošek, Langvad and Gómez Villafañe take stage 2 wins at Cape Epic
The Buff Megamo 1 pairing of Wout Alleman and Martin Stošek took the men's win on stage 2 of the Cape Epic, topping Scott-SRAM's Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo and Wilier-Vittoria's Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto. Schurter and Filippo Colombo continue to lead Braidot and Avondetto in the overall standings.
In the women's event, Annika Langvad and Sofia Gómez Villafañe of Toyota-Specialized took yet another stage victory, extending their overall lead on Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda of Efficient Infiniti up over nine minutes.
Monday, March 17, 2025
- Bernal will return to racing at the Volta a Catalunya
- Wales will reportedly host a Tour de France stage in 2027
- Milan and Pedersen are ready for San Remo
- Sam Fox bikepacked to Australian MTB nationals
- Winner's Circle: Toyota Specialized continues to shine at Cape Epic, Scott-SRAM takes over
Bernal will return to racing at the Volta a Catalunya
As Marca reports, a little over a month after he crashed out of the Clásica Jaén with a broken collarbone, Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) will return to racing at the upcoming Volta a Catalunya, which starts on Monday, March 24.
The news of his speedy recovery may not come as a surprise to those who follow Bernal on social media or Strava; less than two weeks after his crash, Bernal was posting evidence of his quick return to training in and around Nice and Monaco.
Bernal's main objective for 2025 remains the Giro d'Italia, a race he won back in 2021. [Marca]
Wales will reportedly host a Tour de France stage in 2027
Following on recent media reports that the Grand Départ of the 2027 Tour de France will take place in the United Kingdom, WalesOnline reports that the British sojourn will include a visit to Wales.
The race is expected to start with three stages on British soil before heading over to France, and the last of those stages will reportedly finish in the Welsh capital of Cardiff in what would mark the Tour's first ever visit to Wales. [WalesOnline]
Milan and Pedersen are ready for San Remo
Lidl-Trek teammates Jonathan Milan and Mads Pedersen both put on displays of form this past week at Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice, respectively, and now they are gearing up for Milan-San Remo with confidence.
"I saw Mads's form in Paris-Nice, and I can see he's in super good shape," Milan said after he won the final Tirreno stage. "We're a strong team for next Saturday."
For his part, Pedersen noted after a strong climbing performance in the final stage of Paris-Nice that "going into Milan-San Remo and the other Classics, it's looking very good."
Sam Fox bikepacked to Australian MTB nationals
After winning the elite men's cross-country title at Australian mountain bike nationals on Sunday, Sam Fox posted his pre-race buildup to social media, revealing that he had bikepacked to Mount Buller, which hosted the event. Starting in Melbourne on the Monday before race weekend, he rode to Warburton first and then to Jamieson to the following day before arriving at Mount Buller last Wednesday. [Instagram]
Winner's Circle: Toyota Specialized continues to shine at Cape Epic, Scott-SRAM takes over
After Sunday's prologue, the Cape Epic continued with a 92 km stage 1 on Monday. On the women's side, the race-leading Toyota Specialized duo of Annika Langvad and Sofia Gomez Villafañe followed up their prologue performance with an even more dominant display, finishing the stage nearly six minutes ahead of the second-placed Efficient Infinity SCB SRAM duo of Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda. The Buff Megamo team of Rosa van Doorn and Janina Wust was third on the day. Those three pairings sit in the same order atop the overall standings ahead of stage 2.
On the men's side, Scott-SRAM's Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo hit the stage 1 finish line 31 seconds ahead of prologue winners Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria), with Orbea Leatt Speed Company's Lukas Baum and Georg Egger third best on the day. Schurter and Colombo surged to the top of the overall standings with their performance, with Braidot and Avondetto now in second and Baum and Egger in third.
Elsewhere, New Zealand’s Kate McCarthy continued her winning ways in the Zwift Games elite Climb Championships, claiming the title and lead in the overall. Neal Fryett (USA) took the win for the men, and sits in second place behind Jasper Paridaens (BEL) in the overall standings with only the Epic Championship left on March 22.
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