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, March 16, 2025
- Zurich World Championship organisers several millions in debt
- Cian Uijtdebroeks withdraws from Tirreno-Adriatico as old injury rears its head
- Matthew Richardson breaks Harrie Lavreysen’s world record in first UCI event in British colours
- Winner’s circle: Jorgenson and Ayuso wrap up Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico victory
Zurich World Championship organisers several millions in debt
The organisers of the 2024 UCI Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, are reportedly dealing with debts of CHF 4.5 million.
The deficit has been attributed to a number of factors, including the terrible weather conditions that plagued the events, all of which were overshadowed by the devastating death of Swiss junior and local rider Muriel Furrer.
While host cities and regions would typically hope and expect for an economic boost from such an event, the Glasgow ‘super worlds’ in 2023, for example, it’s far from the first instance that the World Championship organisers have seen a loss, including the small and relatively remote town of Ponferrada in the Spanish region of Castille and León.
Cian Uijtdebroeks withdraws from Tirreno-Adriatico as old injury rears its head
Team Visma-Lease a Bike’s young GC hopeful Cian Uijtdebroeks had already been struggling with familiar symptoms before the closing stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, but he finally succumbed on the way to stage 7’s sprint finale in San Benedetto del Tronto.
The 22-year-old had fought back emotions in an interview following Saturday’s queen stage where he should have been in his element, but could not hold the pace and ultimately finished more than three minutes down.
“I had to deal with the symptoms of last year again,” he told Sporza, referring to the back injury that plagued his 2024, and the Vuelta in particular. “My heart rate was 150, but I didn't make any progress and I had that dull feeling in my legs again. It's a replay of what happened to me last year. It sucks.”
Matthew Richardson breaks Harrie Lavreysen’s world record in first UCI event in British colours
After a storied defection from Australia to Great Britain after the Paris Olympic Games, Matthew Richardson has laid down a gauntlet in his first UCI event in GB colours by breaking the 200-metre flying start world record of arch-rival Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands).
The flying 200-metre time trial acts as the qualifying round for the individual sprint competition, and Richardson has owned the record before, but only briefly. Both he and Lavreysen set a new benchmark in the Olympic Games qualifying round on 7 August 2024, the first sea level records since 2009, with the Dutchman – who went on to win gold in the attached event – logging 9.088 seconds.
Richardson has this weekend been racing the UCI Nations Cup in Konya, Turkey (~1,000 metres elevation.), where he set a new time of 9.041, and ultimately marched through to the gold final where he faces new teammate Harry Ledingham-Horn.
Winner’s circle: Jorgenson and Ayuso wrap up Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico victory
It’s been a busy weekend of racing with both two WorldTour stage races coming to their conclusions on the Côte d’Azur and Adriatic coast. The final stage of Paris-Nice was won by young American Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) with overall victory sealed by Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) behind him in second. Jorgenson was delighted to take a second-consecutive victory at the French stage race after the unhappy withdrawal of his team captain Jonas Vingegaard on Friday.
At Tirreno-Adriatico, the race wound up in its traditional final sprint, won by dominant fast man Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) as a crash disrupted several behind. The GC had been largely confirmed the day before as Juan Ayuso claimed the Queen Stage, but previous race leader Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) took his opportunity to take back second overall from Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) at the intermediate sprint.
Also in Italy, Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) took a second-consecutive victory to secure a hat-trick at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda after a thrilling finale on the roads of Lombardy.
Saturday, March 15, 2025
- Thank goodness for Del Toro, says stage-winner Ayuso
- Mid South Gravel canceled amid wild fires and high winds
- Skjelmose forced to withdraw from Paris-Nice with suspected shoulder injury
- Winner’s circle: Summit finish victories for Ayuso and Storer
Thank goodness for Del Toro, says stage-winner Ayuso
The Queen Stage victory might have gone to leader-in-waiting Juan Ayuso, but amid significant pressure from a solid list of rivals including Tom Pidcock, Jai Hindley, Derek Gee, Mikel Landa and Antonio Tiberi, the new Tirreno-Adriatico leader paid tribute to his young teammate who is fast earning a reputation as one of the most formidable climbers in the bunch.
“We knew we had to make the race hard in the final,” Ayuso said, now sitting on a 37-second lead with one flat stage to come. “But I was happy to have Del Toro with me, because even with a headwind he rode incredibly. I was really suffering in his wheel, but so were the rest, so I went for it. I had to keep my pace until the top. The last kilometre I struggled a bit, but I'm happy I made it.”
Mid South Gravel canceled amid wild fires and high winds
After initially hoping to proceed with Saturday’s gravel event, the organisers of Mid South Gravel announced on the eve of the marquee bike race that the event had been officially canceled due to the wildfires that raged through Friday. Evacuation orders have since been lifted, but dry conditions mean that fire risk continues, with Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt declaring a state of emergency.
While the competition could not continue, many participants have remained in Stillwater, OK, with some social events still on, as well as a mobilisation of volunteering efforts for the local community.
Read more from Josh Weinberg here at Escape Collective.
Skjelmose forced to withdraw from Paris-Nice with suspected shoulder injury
This year’s Paris-Nice, and specifically the weather that’s plagued the WorldTour stage race, has taken another high-profile victim in Danish GC hopeful Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek). The 24-year-old leapt from sixth to third overall after a terrific finish in the crosswinds of stage 6, but his hopes of another WorldTour podium evaporated when he came up against some unmarked road furniture on the shortened stage 7 to Auron. It was a heavy fall in grizzly conditions, and it was almost immediately clear that the young rider would not be remounting to contest the summit finish.
He was taken straight to hospital for investigations, but mercifully Skjlemose escaped without fractures as at first feared, so his spring may not be too badly affected pending other injuries. He’s next expected to return to Itzulia Basque Country where last year he finished third overall.
In Skjelmose’s absence, Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) stepped onto the Paris-Nice podium before the final stage in Nice.
Winner’s circle: Summit finish victories for Ayuso and Storer
Saturday’s first big winner was Michael Storer of Tudor Pro Cycling, who climbed away from his surviving breakaway companions to win the shortened Paris-Nice stage 7, paying tribute to new teammate Julian Alaphilippe who did a great deal of work for Storer throughout the stage. This marks the Australian’s first victory since stepping down from the WorldTour at the end of 2023, and a welcome return to the kind of form that sent him to two stage wins and the KOM jersey at the 2021 Vuelta a España.
In neighbouring Italy, Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) put up a strong challenge against his WorldTour rivals, but he could not respond to the superior climbing legs of UAE’s Juan Ayuso on the hors-catégorie summit finish. The Spaniard took over the maglia azzurra from Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), but the TT specialist was able to cling onto the overall podium with a remarkable 13th on the stage – ahead of a number of bonafide GC contenders including Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) – and only a likely sprint stage to come.
Friday, March 14, 2025
- Vingegaard pulls out of Paris-Nice but Jorgenson pads lead
- Organizers shorten Paris-Nice stage 7
- Life Time Grand Prix wild card and U23 development rosters announced
- Merida reports revenue growth and loss
- UK bike sales hit lowest levels in 50 years
- Winner's Circle: Dversnes holds on to win stage 5 of Tirreno-Adriatico
Vingegaard pulls out of Paris-Nice but Jorgenson pads lead
Jonas Vingegaard did not start stage 6 of Paris-Nice after injuring his hand in a crash on stage 5, although the two-time Tour de France winner seems to have escaped serious injury, with Visma-Lease a Bike saying that he had suffered a "contusion" rather than a fracture.
Vingegaard left the race sitting second overall, but Visma still leads the GC with Matteo Jorgenson – who further padded his lead on another day of bad weather in south of France. He and his Visma teammates helped force splits in windy conditions on stage 6 and many GC rivals were caught out in the chaos.
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) narrowly pipped Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) to win the stage with Tarling's Ineos teammate Sam Watson taking third on the day. In the GC battle, Visma's hard work resulted in Jorgenson adding nearly two minutes to his lead over João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), while stage 5 winner Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) was even worse off, finishing nearly nine minutes down. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) were other GC hopefuls on the right side of the split and they now sit second and third overall.
Organizers shorten Paris-Nice stage 7
In other Paris-Nice news, organizers have decided to shorten Saturday's stage 7 from 148 km to 103 km due to the weather conditions in the southeastern corner of France. The redesigned route cuts a pair of climbs from the middle of the stage, taking riders over less mountainous – and thus less affected by the weather – terrain instead.
The Cat. 1 final climb to Auron remains on the program.
Life Time Grand Prix wild card and U23 development rosters announced
Life Time, promoters of Unbound Gravel, the Leadville Trail 100, and other major gravel and mountain bike events, announced rosters for its wild card and young-rider development programs. The wild card initiative allows riders not selected for the season-long Grand Prix competition (and its hefty prize purse) to race their way into that field. There are three available Grand Prix spots each for the top-scoring men and women from the wild card rosters. Those rosters, now announced, include 40 female and 98 male competitors. It’s a mix of newcomers and recognizable names (Alex Howes, Peta Mullens and, we might add, Escape Collective contributor Logan Jones-Wilkins), and wild cards will be awarded after April 10's Sea Otter Classic and May 31's Unbound 200.
Separately, 12 women and 51 men between 18-22 years old will participate in the U23 program, where the top male and female finishers will earn a spot in the 2026 Grand Prix field. U23 athletes must compete in at least four of the six events in the 2025 series. The full wild card field is available here, and U23 program details and rosters are here.
Merida reports revenue growth and loss
Merida has reported an 8.7% revenue increase in 2024, reaching NT$29.6 billion (US$900m), but also posted a NT$7.66 billion (US$234m) net loss due to a one-time accounting adjustment. Reflecting on the broader industry, the company said mountain bike stock levels have stabilized, and road bike sales are improving, with the market in the US recovering faster than in Europe.
UK bike sales hit lowest levels in 50 years
The Bicycle Association (BA) reported that UK bicycle sales fell to 1.45 million units in 2024, the lowest level since the early 1970s. This marks a 2% decline from 2023 and continues a downturn that began in 2021.
Despite heavy discounting, non-electric bike sales dropped by 4%, while e-bike sales fell by 5%. Children’s bike sales also declined and are now a third lower than pre-pandemic levels. However, higher-priced road and mountain bikes performed better, and bike services saw strong demand, with maintenance and repairs rising 7% compared to 2023.
BA predicts that the sales figures will increase by 2% this year.
Winner's Circle: Dversnes holds on to win stage 5 of Tirreno-Adriatico
Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility) won stage 5 of Tirreno-Adriatico as the last man standing from the early breakaway, denying some big names back in the bunch a shot at the stage win. The 27-year-old Norwegian was one of seven riders in the initial move, and he soloed away from his breakaway companions on the day's final climb.
The pack came close to catching him before the finish, but not quite close enough, and Dversnes held on to take his first ever WorldTour win seven seconds ahead of Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Roger Adrià (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). Race leader Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) was waylaid by a mechanical in the finale but was given the same time as the Van der Poel group.
Thursday, March 13, 2025
- Vingegaard crashes at Paris-Nice
- Almeida: 'Cycling is not for soft people'
- Fizik expands retail network for One-to-One personalized saddles
- Winner's Circle: Kooij sprints to stage 4 win at Tirreno-Adriatico
Vingegaard crashes at Paris-Nice
It was a day of mixed fortunes for Visma-Lease a Bike on stage 5 of Paris-Nice. Jonas Vingegaard crashed early, appeared to emerge relatively unscathed, but then lost a bit of time at the summit finish – while his teammate Matteo Jorgenson took third on the stage and reclaimed the GC lead.
Vingegaard crashed while climbing early on in the up-and-down stage from Saint-Just-en-Chevalet to La Côte-Saint-André. His teammates helped bring him back to the bunch without incident but on the double digit gradients of the Cat. 2 final climb, he dropped away from the front while Jorgenson, Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), and Clément Champoussin (XDS-Astana) battled for the stage win.
Martinez triumphed in the end, with Champoussin in second and Jorgenson in third, which was good enough to propel the American back into the yellow jersey after Vingegaard took it on stage 4. For his part, Vingegaard finished 26 seconds down on the day, dropping to second overall behind Jorgenson.
Update: 21:00CET - At the finish, Vingegaard winced in pain as he removed his gloves. In a post on social media, Visma said Vingegaard has "sustained a contusion of the hand" and team medical staff will decide [Friday] if he is fit enough to continue in the race.
Almeida: 'Cycling is not for soft people'
In other Paris-Nice news, after the aforementioned Jonas Vingegaard complained that stage 4 should not have been resumed after having been neutralized due to bad weather, João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) expressed a different opinion, as L'Equipe reports.
"The worst was over, there were no safety issues, we even slowed down on the descent, so there was no reason to stop," he said. "Cycling is not a sport for soft people, sometimes you have to be tough." [L'Equipe]
Fizik expands retail network for One-to-One personalized saddles
Fizik announced 28 new retail partners globally for its One-to-One custom saddle program, which takes the brand’s range of Adaptive saddles and personalizes them through a multi-step fit process. The saddles (which start at US$499/£459/€459) are then made with custom 3D-printed padding to match that fit map. As we reported on the launch last year, Fizik began the program with an extremely limited dealer network of just 21 retailers worldwide.
Today’s expansion more than doubles that, and includes four new locations in the US, although there are still no locations in Australia. The full dealer list is available on Fizik’s web site. [Fizik]
Winner's Circle: Kooij sprints to stage 4 win at Tirreno-Adriatico
Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) picked up his third win of the young season on stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico, winning stage 4 in a sprint. Kooij proved fastest in an all-Dutch top three, with Rick Pluimers (Tudor) in second and Mathieu van Der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuncink) in third.
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
- Evenepoel: Crash was 'hard to accept'
- Former teammate calls Gaudu 'a horrible guy'
- UCI to make wild card decision later this month
- Former world champ Vainšteins imprisoned over alimony payments
- Winner's Circle: Almeida bests Jorgenson at Paris-Nice, Vendrame tops Pidcock at Tirreno-Adriatico
Evenepoel: Crash was 'hard to accept'
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) has reflected on the challenges of being sidelined for so long after his training crash in an interview with WielerRevue. The dual Olympic champ suffered multiple fractures in December when he was doored by a Belgian postal worker at the start of what was supposed to be his offseason training buildup.
"On the first day that I was supposed to start training in a structured way again, I drove into that van," Evenepoel said.
"I found it hard to accept that I had ended up in this situation. Especially after my crash on the same side in the Tour of the Basque Country. I was unable to train normally for a long time. Not only could I not ride my bike, but also could not do strength training in the gym. So I have to come a long way this time."
Because of that, he could only watch as his teammates enjoyed training camp, and he can still only watch as fellow stars like Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vinegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) get on with their early season races.
"The contrast is very big," he said of going from Olympic glory to an injury layoff. "Especially in the period when everyone goes to training camp and you see the photos and videos from sunny Spain, while you yourself are lying in bed doing nothing. That is not easy.” [WielerRevue]
Former teammate calls Gaudu 'a horrible guy'
Fresh off a win at the GP Pierre Monseré, Alexys Brunel of TotalEnergies gave an interview to L'Equipe earlier this week mostly focused on his comeback after spending several years away outside of the top echelons of cycling – but in which he also lambasted his former teammate David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ).
"I hate him," Brunel said. "He made fun of me on his stupid live streams. A horrible guy. He thinks he's a champion, but he's not." [L'Equipe]
UCI to make wild card decision later this month
Cyclingnews reports that the UCI will decide on March 26 whether to add additional wildcards slot for this season's Grand Tours.
At present, the three-week races have two discretionary invites to give to ProTeams, in addition to the 18 slots for WorldTeams and two further automatic bids for the top-ranked ProTeams (which can turn them down, giving organizers more options). With more than a few strong squads at the second division, however, organizers are left trying to decide whether to make room for the likes of Tudor, Uno-X Mobility, and Q36.5. While those squads are pushing for an expanded invite list, Cyclingnews reports that at least two major WorldTeams are pushing back. Escape's Iain Treloar has more on this story. [Cyclingnews]
Former world champ Vainšteins imprisoned over alimony payments
As the Corriere della Sera reports, Romāns Vainšteins, who won the road world title in 2000, has been sent to prison in Italy after not paying alimony to his ex-wife.
According to the Corriere, the retired Latvian was arrested in Bergamo, Italy, immediately after flying in from Riga, and he was sentenced to four months in prison. [Corriere della Sera]
Winner's Circle: Almeida bests Jorgenson at Paris-Nice, Vendrame tops Pidcock at Tirreno-Adriatico
João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) won stage 4 of Paris-Nice on a miserable day in France that saw racing temporarily neutralized due to sleet and hail. After racing was resumed, things came down to a battle of GC riders on the Cat. 1 finishing climb, where Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) tried to solo clear but was caught shortly before the line by Almeida. Vingegaard settled for second and took over the GC lead with Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) in third on the day.
Riders at Tirreno-Adriatico were assailed by wet weather as well, and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) was one of several riders to hit the deck amid multiple crashes on slick roads. When all was said and done, Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) sprinted to the stage 3 ahead of Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) and Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ). We have more on the neutralization controversy and crashes.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
- Cannondale overhauls the Topstone Carbon
- TotalEnergies in talks to sponsor Ineos
- Race Face launches the Turbine SL Stem
- Ari Bikes introduces the Signal Peak 3.0 XC full suspension
- State Bicycle Co unveils new Carbon All-Road V2
- Winner's Circle: Milan wins in Tirreno, Visma takes Paris-Nice TTT
Cannondale overhauls the Topstone Carbon
Cannondale has given the Topstone Carbon an update for 2025, refining rather than reinventing the more adventure-oriented gravel bike – much like it did with the racier SuperX a month ago. The new models retain the KingPin rear suspension, offering 30 mm of travel to smooth out rough roads, while the Lefty Oliver fork – now marking its 10th anniversary – adds 40 mm of travel and a revised damper tune for the front.
Tire clearance has been widened to 52 mm in the frame and 56 mm with a rigid fork, while the Lefty-equipped model sticks to 47 mm tires due to height constraints. The geometry has had slight tweaks, with OutFront Steering Geometry still pairing a slack head angle with a 55 mm fork offset. Cannondale says the carbon layup is tweaked for size-specific ride quality across the six sizes, and there’s now an integrated StashPort storage compartment in the frame’s downtube. The frame also comes with a UDH, fender mounts, threaded bottom bracket, internal cable routing, and dropper post compatibility.
The 2025 lineup is as follows: Topstone Carbon LTD Di2 with Shimano GRX 825 Di2 and Reserve carbon wheels (US$7,300 / €7,499); Topstone Carbon 1 Lefty AXS with SRAM Rival/GX Eagle AXS and Lefty Oliver fork (US$6,400 / €6,899); Topstone Carbon 2 AXS – SRAM Apex/GX Eagle AXS (US$4,300 / €4,299); and Topstone Carbon 2 GRX – Shimano GRX 820 mechanical (US$4,000 / €3,999). [Cannondale]
TotalEnergies in talks to sponsor Ineos
Multiple sources tell Escape Collective that French energy giant TotalEnergies is in talks with the Ineos Grenadiers over a possible deal for 2026 that would see TotalEnergies become a co-sponsor of the team. The arrangement in question would probably leave the current TotalEnergies team looking for a new sponsor.
You can read more about it here.
Race Face launches the Turbine SL Stem
The new Race Face Turbine SL stem is designed to add versatility to short travel mountain bikes. At 112 g in 40 mm length, the 6000-series machined aluminum stem can be run with either positive (+6 mm) or negative (-6 mm) offsets to suit a variety of riding styles. And it'll look good in either orientation, along with the top-lock faceplate that ensures clean mounting for cycling computers with over-stem mounts. It is available with a 35 mm clamp only, six colors (Black, Silver, Kashmoney, Orange, Red, Blue) and three lengths (40 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm), the Turbine SL costs US$115. [Race Face]
Ari Bikes introduce the Signal Peak 3.0 XC full suspension
The third generation of Ari Bikes' cross country race platform, the Signal Peak 3.0 has undergone a weight reduction with an advertised frame weight of 1,732 g (without shock), and complete bikes come in as light as 10.85 kg (24 lbs) in stock configurations. The updated frame replaces the previous chainstay pivot with a flex pivot, making the rear triangle into a single monocoque structure. There's room for two bottles inside the front triangle of every size and mounts for a third under the downtube. Max rear tire clearance is claimed at 29 x 2.4." Pricing starts at US$3,000 for frame only and goes all the way up to the complete "Team Edition" for $9,400. [Ari Bikes]
State Bicycle Co unveils new Carbon All-Road V2
State Bicycle Co – a US-based budget-focused and consumer-direct brand – has just announced a new carbon gravel bike with features you don’t expect of such a price-focused bike. The carbon frame offers UDH compatibility, clearance for up to 700 x 2.2" tires (55 mm), integrated frame storage, and a more performance-oriented geometry.
Frameset prices start from US$1,300, while complete bikes begin at US$2,300 with the company’s own Sensah-made, house-branded 1x12-speed drivetrains, plus added options for customizing the drivetrain, wheels, and more at added expense. We plan to review this one in the near future. [State Bicycle Co]
Winner's Circle: Milan wins in Tirreno, Visma takes Paris-Nice TTT
Jonathan Milan sprinted to victory on stage 2 of Tirreno Adriatico, starting in a strong position thanks to an effective Lidl-Trek lead-out and turning that into a convincing win over Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor) and Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ). Stage 1 winner Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) finished safely in the bunch and retained his overall lead.
Over at Paris-Nice, Visma-Lease a Bike won the stage 3 team time trial ahead of Jayco-AlUla and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in Nevers, where Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson arrived at the line together. Jorgenson, the defending champion, now leads the race.
Monday, March 10, 2025
- Ganna strikes back one year after narrowly losing Tirreno opener to Ayuso
- Vittoria introduces 29 mm tires for wider rims
- Esker Cycles updates lineup of hardtail mountain bikes
- Winner's Circle: Merlier wins again in Paris-Nice
Ganna strikes back one year after narrowly losing Tirreno opener to Ayuso
One year after Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) bested Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) by all of one second in the opening time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico, Ganna flipped the script, besting Ayuso to win Monday's opening stage of the 2025 edition of the race by a massive 23 seconds over just 11.5 km in Lido di Camaiore. Johan Price-Pejtersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took third, a further five seconds behind Ayuso.
The victory is Ganna's first so far this season, and the Italian will hope for more of the same after a sometimes frustrating 2024 campaign that saw him settle for runner-up honors in big TT opportunities on more than one occasion.
Asked whether his win was "revenge" for the first stage of Tirreno-Adriatico last year, Ganna said, "Yes, definitely. It is always better to win by twenty seconds. This is very nice. The key now is to recover well and then we will see what I can do in the coming rides. The legs are good in any case."
Vittoria introduces 29 mm tires for wider rims
Vittoria has launched a “Wide Rim Optimized” tire range, designed for 25 mm internal width rims. The first tires in the range are 700x29c Corsa Pro TLR and Corsa N.EXT TLR, which now meet the current ETRTO and ISO tire width regulations for 25 mm internal width rims. These regulations specify safe hookless tire and rim combinations and became a talking point last year following several hookless wheel and tire failures at pro races.
The new tires are tubeless-ready, hookless-compatible, and available at US$107 (Corsa Pro) and US$92 (Corsa N.EXT), with a Corsa Pro Speed TLR version coming soon.
Esker Cycles updates lineup of hardtail mountain bikes
Esker Cycles announced updates to four of its hardtail models for 2025. The Hayduke and Japhy have revised geometries, while others in the collection including the Lorax Ti and Hayduke LVS get a variety of frame revisions like “Hitching Post” bottle/gear bosses, custom chainstay protectors, increased tire clearance, new finishes, and more. These changes help to further differentiate the Esker catalog, with the Hayduke now an off-road touring platform and the Japhy is positioned as a versatile all-around hardtail.
Eskers are available as framesets or in a variety of complete build kits, in steel or some in titanium. Prices range from US$1,000 steel frames to titanium completes that start at US$4,500. You can see all of the updates and options over at Esker's website. [Esker Cycles]
Winner's Circle: Merlier wins again in Paris-Nice
While Tirreno-Adriatico saw time trial action on Monday, over at Paris-Nice, Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took his second win in as many days in another sprint finish. This time, the race leader outkicked Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) with Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) in third after Hugo Page (Intermarché-Wanty) was relegated.
And in the Zwift Games Elite Championships, reigning UCI esports world champion Kate McCarthy took the Sprint championship in the final round after a two-stage elimination. Neal Fryett took the men’s win. The Zwift Games Elite Championships continues March 15 and March 22.
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