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 …
Thursday, February 20, 2025
- Lotto signs Viviani
- Algarve director: TV moto was too close but 'we did not do enough to prevent' stage 1 mishap
- BMC recalls all Kaius 01 bikes and framesets
- Garmin reports record high revenue for 2024
- Penn State University is doing a research study on cargo bikes and you can help
- Winner's Circle: Milan triumphs again in the UAE
Lotto signs Viviani
Elia Viviani's career will continue for at least another season. The 36-year-old Italian sprinter, who has won stages at all three Grand Tours, has signed a one-year deal with Lotto.
"First and foremost, I want to keep sprinting for victories, but I also want to share my experience with this young team," Viviani said in a statement. "I’m ready to take on that role – giving my new teammates tips, whether they are sprinters or not, and helping them grow."
Viviani spent the past three seasons with the Ineos Grenadiers, but did not have a contract in place for this season until Thursday's announcement. Although he is some ways removed now from his time as a consistent winner of Grand Tour sprints, he picked up a handful of victories in 2023, including one at the WorldTour level at the Tour of Guangxi.
Algarve director: TV moto was too close but 'we did not do enough to prevent' stage 1 mishap
Volta ao Algarve race director Sergio Sousa has addressed the circumstances that led to a majority of the peloton diverting down the wrong road and missing the finishing straight on stage 1, acknowledging that multiple factors led to the mishap but that the race bears responsibility.
“I think the TV bike was the first to make a mistake,” Sousa said, according to Het Nieuwsblad. "That bike was too close to the riders and the riders made the mistake of following the bike, but it is also clear that we did not do enough to prevent this. We are very sorry about that. The organization is always responsible, but sometimes you can't control everything." [Het Nieuwsblad]
BMC recalls all Kaius 01 bikes and framesets
BMC announced a full recall of its Kaius 01 gravel bikes due to problems with fork steerers failing. The company said all complete bikes and framesets, model years 2023-2026, are subject to an immediate stop-ride order because BMC “has become aware of a few instances where certain fork steerer tubes have separated under heavy duty riding conditions.” BMC asks that all Kaius 01 owners take their bike to a local BMC dealer for inspection and possible fork replacement, at no cost. [BMC]
Garmin reports record high revenue for 2024
Garmin hit a record US$6.3 billion in consolidated revenue for 2024, up 20% from 2023. Its fitness segment – which covers cycling products – saw a 32% year-over-year sales growth and reached US$1.8 billion. The company said much of the growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for wearables.
Penn State University is doing a research study on cargo bikes and you can help
A professor of kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University is conducting a research study on cargo bike use and is inviting riders to complete a survey to help develop programs for promoting cycling. The 15-question survey, from principal investigator Melissa Bopp, asks for some demographic information as well as perspectives on cycling in your area, but answers are confidential. The survey can be found here.
Winner's Circle: Milan triumphs again in the UAE
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) took his second stage win of the UAE Tour so far on Thursday's stage 4. The 24-year-old Italian bested Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in a bunch kick at Umm al Quwain.
Meanwhile, at the Ruta del Sol, Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) kept the balling rolling on his strong start to the season, winning stage 2 ahead of Brandon Rivera (Ineos Grenadiers) and Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). Sivakov now leads the race.
And at the Volta ao Algarve, Swiss youngster Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) stormed to a mountaintop victory on stage 2 just ahead of his own teammate João Almeida. Laurens De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers) was third on the day, and those three riders now sit in that order atop the general classification as well.
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
- Pogačar 'finally' gets his first win of 2025
- Sprinters take a wrong turn in Algarve finale
- Leg surgery for Iserbyt
- Winner's Circle: Van Gils takes Ruta del Sol opener
Pogačar 'finally' gets his first win of 2025
After coming up short in the first two stages of the UAE Tour, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) stormed to victory and the race lead on stage 3 at Jebel Jais for his first win of the 2025 season. The reigning Tour de France champ convincingly outkicked Oscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL) and Felix Gall (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) atop the climb.
Getting that first win so early in the season would probably be an achievement for most riders, but in his post-race comments, Pogačar seemed relieved at having secured the win after missing out on a sprint stage and a flat time trial.
"It feels amazing. Finally back racing, finally a victory after three days," he said. "We are super happy."
Algarve opener annulled after sprinters take a wrong turn in the finale
The opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve took an unexpected turn when more than half of the peloton went the wrong way inside the final kilometer, following a commissaire vehicle as it was diverted onto a parallel road where many fans were gathered to watch what they thought would be a sprint.
Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) was among the few riders who stayed on the actual race course, and with the race turned on its proverbial head, he crossed the line first. The race jury, however, ultimately decided to annul the stage entirely, awarding no winner and no times for the day. We have more on this story here.
Leg surgery for Iserbyt
Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen–Bingoal) will undergo leg surgery on Thursday after tests revealed "reduced blood flow in the femoral artery."
The cyclocrosser had undergone medical evaluations after feeling like he "could not perform at 100 percent." Iserbyt is expected to be off the bike for six weeks following the surgery.
Winner's Circle: Van Gils takes Ruta del Sol opener
Despite the best efforts of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) took stage 1 of the Ruta del Sol at the famous Caves of Nerja in southern Spain. Van Gils topped his Belgian compatriot Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in a sprint, with Wellens' teammate Pavel Sivakov arriving seven seconds later and fellow UAE rider Marc Soler taking fourth for good measure.
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
- Van Aert's road season debut didn't go as well as planned
- Bernal breaks his collarbone in Jaén crash
- Bikeflights launches an upgraded version of its flagship bike shipping box
- Silca updates its tubeless tire sealant
- Winner's Circle: Tarling triumphs in UAE Tour TT
Van Aert's road season debut didn't go as well as planned
Although Wout van Aert expressed his excitement with the chance to race on gravel in the run-up to the Clásica Jaén, the Belgian star was unable to contend in his road season debut there, and he and Visma-Lease a Bike both seemed disappointed.
“I didn’t have a great feeling,” Van Aert said, as Het Laatste Nieuws reports. “I didn’t have the best legs and was on the limit a few times in the final." With that in mind, Van Aert went to work in support of teammate Ben Tulett on the day. The 23-year-old Brit took ninth in the end behind winner Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers).
"We did not travel here for such a result," said Visma sports director Arthur van Dongen, as Het Nieuwsblad reports.
Nonetheless, Van Dongen also offered an optimistic outlook, saying: "It's hard to compare this Wout with the Wout from last year around this time, but I don't think they're that far apart. Although we also know that there's still room for a few percent. But don't worry." [Het Nieuwsblad]
Bernal breaks his collarbone in Jaén crash
Speaking of the Clásica Jaén, Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) looked strong through much of the race only to crash in the finale. Less than two weeks after taking his first wins since his career-altering 2022 training crash, the former Tour de France winner suffered a broken collarbone.
You can read more about it here at Escape Collective.
Bikeflights launches an upgraded version of its flagship bike shipping box
Bikeflights, the company known primarily for bike freight services, also offers a lineup of boxes made specifically for shipping bikes. The Bike Box Large (BBL) just received substantial updates including a clever flat pack storage configuration, more robust construction, and makes packing a bike easier with custom bits like wheel sleeves, dropout spacer, and small parts holder. The BBL costs US$100 plus shipping to the customer. [Bikeflights]
Silca updates its tubeless tire sealant
Silca’s original Ultimate Sealant made some bold claims on how effectively it would seal punctures with its single-strand carbon fiber within the natural latex mix. However, an inability to inject it through valve stems, clumping, and higher maintenance all proved to be barriers.
Silca has now announced a wholly revised version of the Ultimate Sealant, mixing natural and synthetic latex with far finer strands of carbon fiber. The American company claims the new sealant can now be injected through valve stems, offers a six-month install life (even in hot conditions), and can seal beyond 6 mm punctures. It’s priced at US$42.00 (1L), US$24.00 (500 Ml), and US$6 (65 Ml). [Silca]
Winner's Circle: Tarling triumphs in UAE Tour TT
Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) took stage 2 and the overall race lead at the UAE Tour. The Welshman proved fastest in a 12.2 km individual time trial on Al Hudayriyat Island, setting a mark of 12:55 to best Stefan Bissegger (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG). That trio now sits atop the general classification in that order heading into the third stage of the race.
Monday, February 17, 2025
- Geraint Thomas is officially retiring at the end of the year
- Philipsen relegated in UAE Tour sprint
- ICC orders former Scott CEO to sell stake in the company
- Fizik looks to be entering the helmet market
- Winner's Circle: Kwiatkowski wins Clásica Jaén
Geraint Thomas is officially retiring at the end of the year
Lest there be any confusion, Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) has officially announced that he will call it a career after this season. The news is hardly a surprise, coming as more of a confirmation of widely held expectations that the former Tour de France winner would retire at the end of 2025.
"It’s not been a bad run eh?" Thomas wrote on Instagram. "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine being a pro for 19 years. There’ll be lots of time to reflect but, before then, I’ve got some big races to prep for."
Just what those races will be remains to be seen. [Instagram]
Philipsen relegated in UAE Tour sprint
The first stage of the UAE Tour came down to a bunch kick with some big names contending for the win. Even Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) was among them, trying his luck by launching early, though he was quickly swamped by purer sprinters. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) bested Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at the line, but the results sheet shows Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) as runner-up after Philipsen was relegated for swerving in front of Fisher-Black.
The Belgian appeared to be admitting defeat to Milan in the closing meters, slowing rapidly as he swung in front of Fisher-Black, who threw up a hand in frustration. Philipsen, no stranger to relegation, was thus bumped down to 52nd overall, with Fisher-Black awarded second and Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic-PostNL) in third. Philipsen will take comfort, at least, in the jury's decision not to hand him a yellow card.
ICC orders former Scott CEO to sell stake in the company
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal has ruled that former Scott Sports CEO Beat Zaugg must sell his 47% stake in the company to majority shareholder Youngone Corporation, signaling an end to a long-running ownership dispute.
The tensions between the two escalated in 2024 when Youngone removed Zaugg as CEO and took full operational control, appointing Pascal Ducrot and Juwon Kim as the co-CEOs. The reasoning behind the ICC ruling and the final sale price remain undetermined.
Fizik looks to be entering the helmet market
Fizik, best known for its shoes and saddles, looks to be expanding its product catalogue to include helmets. An image shared with us from within the industry shows Orbea Factory XC Team rider Pierre de Froidmont wearing an unreleased Fizik helmet at Internacionales Chelva in Spain this past weekend.
From the images, it looks as though this helmet is a ventilated all-rounder that will likely be positioned to cater to the gravel and mountain bike markets, potentially hinting that an aero helmet for the road may be in the works. Although there is little to officially go on, the back of the helmet has the recognisable yellow decal from Mips, and at the front, the helmet has a longitudinal vent laying across the rider's brow. It also looks fairly bulky in the images, whether that is how the product looks or whether he is using a size too big for him. We will have to wait until the product officially breaks cover.
Winner's Circle: Kwiatkowski wins Clásica Jaén
While the WorldTour calendar continued in the UAE Tour, plenty of other big names were in Spain for the Clásica Jaén, where Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) triumphed after an aggressive day on the gravel. Kwiatkowski was part of a large move that formed a little ways after the midway point of the race, and then he soloed away in the finale to take his first win since 2023. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG) nabbed second with Ibon Ruiz (Kern Pharma) in third.
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