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Chris Froome speaks into a microphone on stage before stage 1 of the 2024 Criterium du Dauphiné as teammate Jakob Fuglsang looks down at his stem to Froome's right.

Daily News: Froome is leaving the door open to race on beyond 2025

Also, Eli Iserbyt is taking legal action against the Koppenbergcross beer thrower.

Dane Cash
by Dane Cash and Kit Nicholson 10.11.2024 Photography by
Canyon, Cor Vos, Kristof Ramon
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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, November 10, 2024

Chris Froome is leaving the door open to extending his career

Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome has been widely expected to bow out of life as a pro cyclist when his contract with Israel-Premier Tech runs out at the close of 2025, but the Kenya-born Brit is not certain he wants to stop.

“I haven’t definitely decided that it will be my last season next year,” Froome said at the Singapore Criterium, “but it’s looking more than likely.”

Ever since suffering a horror crash at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné, Froome has never been close to the Grand Tour steamroller he once was. Israel-Premier Tech promised new pastures after many successful years with Team Sky/Ineos, but his third-place finish on Alpe d’Huez at the 2022 Tour was a rare flash of excitement in an otherwise quiet tenure.

One thing the 39-year-old would really like to do one more time before bidding farewell to cycling is to return to a Grand Tour, something he’s been blocked from starting since the 2022 Vuelta.

“In my mind, as a younger rider entering the sport, I’d always put getting to the age of 40 and still racing as my goal … I’m realistic about where I’m at. I feel I could play a really key role in providing support and mentorship to a lot of the younger guys, especially in terms of anyone who is looking to target riding GC in a Grand Tour.”

Cav “wins” his last-ever bike race

24 hours after confirming his pro career was coming to an end and that he would not, in fact, be tempted back by the 2025 Tour de France, Mark Cavendish took the “win” at the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium. While Cav in particular is perfectly aware of the somewhat staged organisation of the event having “won” it eight times in his career, it was a fitting send-off for the 35-time Tour stage winner who’s racked up 165 wins across almost two decades in the pro ranks.

Thomas De Gendt and Yukiya Arashiro also took their final bows at the Tour de France exhibition event, De Gendt making his way into one last breakaway, which won him the combativity award and a visit to the podium.

The Dirty Warrny has been run and won in thrilling fashion

Self-described as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest Monument, the Quad Lock Dirty Warrny is a huge gravel race in Victoria, Australia, starting from Geelong. The marquee events see racers embark on a 246-kilometre route that in 84% off-road, and includes over 3,000 metres of elevation gain.

The weekend began with the shorter events, won by friend-of-Escape Matilda Raynolds ahead of road pro Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal QuickStep), and Otis Jones on the men’s side. Then in Sunday’s 246-kilometre marathon, Scott Bowden soloed to the top prize after going clear about 70 km from the finish, while the drama was reserved for the women’s race, which was decided in a duel between Tara Neyland and Emma Viotto that lasted all the way to the lunge for the line. In the end, Neyland emerged victorious by a tyre width.

Eli Iserbyt is taking action against the Koppenbergcross beer thrower

Belgian cyclocross talent Eli Iserbyt has had an interesting season up to this point. It started in inauspicious circumstances with a disqualification after a heated mid-race altercation with Ryan Kamp, but after serving a three-race suspension for stomping on his rival’s bike, the 27-year-old set about salvaging his early season with a string of podium finishes, including victory at Exact Cross Heerderstrand.

However, just as he was settling back into what he’s best at, he was involved in another unfortunate incident at the fan-favourite Koppenbergcross where a spectator threw what seemed to be a whole pint of beer in the rider’s face. Iserbyt was in contention for victory at that point and was able pretty quickly to move past the moment and race to second, but a week later, he’s revealed that legal action is to be taken against the beer thrower. [Wielerflits]

Intermarché-Wanty remains in financial difficulty

Despite their strong position in the team rankings and the success of the now-talismanic young sprinter Biniam Girmay, Intermarché-Wanty is subject to significant financial constraints that show no signs of improving. With a reported €14 million per season, which puts the Belgian squad among the least-wealthy WorldTeams, it’s a constant struggle to make ends meet and to attract new signings, even neo pros into the fold as budgets at the higher end reach stratospheric levels.

With their status as a WorldTeam all but secured based on current standings, one of the more pressing tasks for the team’s management staff is to fill the position of second title sponsor, which Visbeek hopes should be eminently possible thanks to Girmay’s increasingly global renown, but there’s never any guarantee. [Het Laatste Nieuws]

Quick Hits

Patrick Lefevere has joked that Urška Žigart’s signing to AG Insurance-Soudal QuickStep means his men’s squad might have access to insider information on how to beat her fiancé Tadej Pogačar. Lol … The Baloise Trek Lions’ brilliant season continued at the Lokeren round of the X20 Trofee with Lucinda Brand, Thibau Nys and U23 rider David Haverdings putting in stellar performances to take home victory.


Saturday, November 9, 2024

Mark Cavendish wins stage 5 at the Tour de France.

Cav retires for the third time

The big news of the weekend is that Mark Cavendish has announced that Sunday’s Singapore Criterium will be his last race as a pro cyclist. The confirmation comes 111 days after the last stage of his final Tour de France where the Manx Missile was finally able to better the stage-win record he’d shared with Eddy Merckx for three years once and for all. It also puts to rest weeks of speculation as to whether he might just crack on for one more year … [Full story here]

Valtteri Bottas completes “In-Villa Ironman”

Everyone’s favourite F1 driver-cum-gravel racer Vallteri Bottas has heavily hinted at “what’s next” as his Formula 1 career with Sauber winds up. A few days after telling the world – starting with his 4.5 million Instagram followers – that he and the Sauber racing team would be parting ways after three years, Bottas followed up a cheery beach-themed reel with another showing off an alarming challenge: an at-home Ironman.

Over the course of 90 seconds, you can watch as the Finnish multi-hyphenate leaps into the pool to complete 3.8 km, then a quick change before getting onto a Peloton training bike for the 180-kilometre ride – with no chamois – then finally hopping across to the treadmill for the marathon. He did the whole “In-Villa Ironman” in a shade over 11 hours.

Vincenzo Albanese is confirmed as the second rider to leave Arkéa-B&B Hotels early

The punchy Italian rider Vincenzo Albanese is the latest signing for EF Education-EasyPost, and the second rider make an early departure from the struggling Arkéa-B&B Hotels after Vuelta a España stage winner Clément Champoussin jumped ship in favour of Astana Qazaqstan.

Both were rumoured to be breaking contract several weeks ago as the Breton WorldTeam faces uncertainty as to its future. The team’s contracts with both title sponsors are set to expire at the end of 2025, and according to La Télégramme, team manager Emmanuel Hubert may be having trouble securing the team’s future ahead of what is sure to be a crucial year, not least with the WorldTour relegation cycle reaching its climax.

18-year-old junior cyclist Miel Dekien has died after a tragic traffic collision

The news that young Belgian cyclist Miel Dekien had passed away was broken by his team Ostend Air College on Saturday morning. Dekien had been a passenger in a car when the collision took place in Beerst, near Diksmuide, West Flanders, on Friday.

The 18-year-old West Flandrian, who had shown promise on the road, mountain bike and in cyclocross, and who took several top-10 results in one-day races this season, had made his under-23 debut at the Koppenbergcross last weekend, and had recently signed a contract with the prestigious road racing club Basso Team Flanders for 2025.

Quick Hits

Rui Costa and Michael Valgren are among the first incumbent riders to renew with EF Education-EasyPost ahead of 2025 … Former Israel-Premier Tech DS Rik Verbrugghe has been brought on as GM of the new Ridley project, which aims to dominate off-road and race as a ProTeam on the road … Annemiek van Vleuten has hinted that she’s set to join the coaching staff of an unspecified women’s pro team after apparently turning down the women’s national team job newly filled by Laurens Ten Dam … Laura Verdonschot and Felipe Orts took the elite wins at Rucphen Cross.


Friday, November 8, 2024

Canyon issues immediate stop-ride notice for all Spectral:ON CF, CFR, and Torque:ON CF eMTBs

Canyon has issued an immediate stop-ride notice for some of its e-mountain bikes, citing a potential fire hazard as the reason behind the move. The brand has instructed owners of Spectral:ON CF, CFR, and Torque:ON CF models to not charge or discharge the bike’s battery.

The issue apparently stems from damage to the battery casing or housing that could allow for water ingress. It is this water ingress that could cause the battery to short-circuit, bypassing the battery’s internal safety mechanisms. The brand does say, “Whilst extremely unlikely, we cannot rule out that a damaged battery might catch on fire, resulting in a risk of personal injury or damage to property.”

All batteries should be removed and visually inspected as per Canyon’s instructions. [Canyon]

Teams must differentiate with all major Grand Tour jerseys starting in 2025

The UCI issued a memorandum in June – as pointed out by Cyclingnews – decreeing that team kit cannot look too much like any of the major Grand Tour jerseys starting this coming year, broadening a rule that previously only applied to the GC leader’s jerseys. Up to this point, teams have used special temporary kits to avoid, for instance, too much similarity with Giro d’Italia pink or Tour de France yellow.

The UCI aims to prevent too much jersey overlap in smaller races as well, but the rules put the onus on the organizers of non-Grand Tour events to come up with jerseys different enough from those in use by teams.

Trek teases a steel Top Fuel

The Top Fuel, Trek’s downcountry/long travel XC full suspension bike, has been through a few changes as to exactly what it is over the years – but in a recent Instagram post, the Top Fuel took on an all-new guise. The bike in question was created by Industrial designer Kyle Neuser, emulating the Top Fuel platform with a steel frame.

The lovingly named Trek Pipe Dream has certainly caused a stir with over 870 comments on Instagram, many of which call for the bike to make it into production. [Instagram]

Six-day races will not need to run for six days anymore

As Cycling Weekly reports, the UCI has ruled that “six-day” track events (like the Ghent Six) need not actually be six days long moving forward. UCI rules had previously mandated that those events last six consecutive days, but the change will allow organizers to run events under the six-day umbrella that are actually shorter or longer than the format name would imply. [Cycling Weekly]

Quick Hits

Tadej Pogačar reflected on his Worlds performance and how he started feeling “a bit cross-eyed” in the final laps in the Inside the Ride podcast from MyWhoosh … Asturian newspaper La Nueva España reports that the Vuelta a España is considering at return to the Alto de l’Angliru next year … In case you missed this late entry into Thursday’s Daily News update, Life Time Grand Prix organizers have announced the series field for 2025.


Thursday, November 7, 2024

Alan Hatherly at the Olympics.

MTB world champ Hatherly signs with Jayco

Reigning mountain bike world champion Alan Hatherly will make his WorldTour road debut in 2025 with Jayco-AlUla. The 28-year-old South African has made limited road racing appearances already, and he spent 2023 with the EF Education-Nippo development squad, but his two-year deal with Jayco represents a major step towards a bigger focus on the road.

“I think now is the perfect moment for me to get out of the comfort zone and develop even further. Moving to a WorldTour road team is of course something totally new for me, it will be a steep learning curve, and I will be learning from the best,” Hatherly said. “Combining road and MTB is new and refreshing and I am really looking forward to where this journey can go!”

Hatherly spent the past three years on the mountain bike with Cannondale Factory Racing, but he will now ride road and mountain bike events aboard a Giant. His WorldTour debut will come on the heels of a particularly impressive 2024 campaign that saw him win the cross-country world championship title as well as the World Cup series overall. Although he will race both road and MTB for Jayco, the team has yet to reveal the specifics of what his road calendar might look like.

11,000 cyclists turn up for Rigoberto Urán’s farewell Giro de Rigo

The Giro de Rigo, Rigoberto Urán’s Gran Fondo in Medellín, Colombia, took on special significance this year as it coincided with Urán’s retirement from the pro peloton. Urán’s fans turned out in force at the event, to the tune of 11,000 cyclists riding the 155 km trip through a climber-friendly part of country.

Current and former pros like Daniel Martínez, Alejandro Valverde, and Joaquim Rodriguez were also on hand for the event.

EF signs promising 21-year-old Madis Mikhels

Madis Mikhels, who rode to 10th at Paris-Roubaix this year at just 20 years old, is leaving Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert to join EF Education-EasyPost in a move that will have the American team optimistic about the near future. A bronze medalist in the junior road race at Worlds in 2021, the Estonian spent the past two seasons with Intermarché, where he showed promise as a sprinter and a Classics hopeful during his time with the Belgian squad.

“With our team’s backing, we think we can help him become a real champion,” said EF CEO Jonathan Vaughters. “It is going to be fun to see what he can do.”

Life Time Grand Prix organizers announce 2025 series field

The field of pro gravel racers selected to compete in next year’s Life Time Grand Prix series was unveiled on Thursday, with defending champions Keegan Swenson and Sofía Gómez Villafañe among the men and women announced. Notable changes to the field include the absences of Lachlan Morton and Peter Stetina on the men’s side and that of Lauren Stephens on the women’s side.

Former road pros Tsgabu Grmay and Simon Pellaud, meanwhile, are among the higher profile men’s additions, while Australian gravel champion Courtney Sherwell is one of the bigger names joining the women’s field. You can see the full rosters here.

Quick Hits

Laurens Ten Dam has been named the Dutch national women’s coach … Japan makes phone use while cycling punishable by jail time … Fernando Gaviria extends with Movistar.


Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Lapierre releases fourth-generation Pulsium endurance bike

Lapierre has introduced the fourth generation of its Pulsium endurance road bike, with key improvements found in aerodynamics, lighter weight, and more aggressive geometry. It borrows its aero seat stay design features from the recently updated Xelius race bike, and features the unique 3D Tubular seatstay design that connects to the top tube rather than the seat tube. And despite the fourth-generation model forgoing the elastomer insert found in previous Pulsium versions, Lapierre still says the frame is also more compliant and comfortable than the previous models.

According to the French brand, the new Pulsium frame weighs 992g for size M, which is approximately 100g lighter than its predecessor. The redesigned frame shapes, on the other hand, reportedly save 6.1 watts at 50km/h – equivalent to about five seconds saved over 10 kilometers.

The Pulsium’s geometry is revamped with a longer reach and lower stack, and there is a sixth XXL frame size added to the range too. In terms of clearance, the frame now supports tyres up to 38mm wide, and there are top tube mounts for a bag.

The 2025 Pulsium is priced from £2,899 to £5,699 in the UK.

Kerbaol joins EF

On Tuesday, Ceratizit-WNT announced that Cédrine Kerbaol would be leaving the team after the team’s delayed application for WorldTour status triggered a clause allowing her to terminate her contract. On Wednesday, Kerbaol’s destination for 2025 was revealed. The 23-year-old Frenchwoman has signed on to join EF-Oatly-Cannondale.

“Her style of riding is exactly how we want to race. It’s exciting to watch how she will risk losing in order to give her all for a result,” said EF team manager Esra Tromp. “She is an impressive rider and still quite young. We both have big ambitions and I am confident that we will grow and achieve together. Cédrine’s strength and versatility make her the ideal rider to complete our 2025 roster.”

Accell Group gets creditor support for recapitalization plan

Accell Group has announced it has secured support from creditors for a major recapitalization effort aimed at stabilizing its financial and operational future. The European bike company behind brands such as Haibike, Ghost, Lapierre, Raleigh and Babboe said that it secured backing from approximately 80% of its senior lenders and unanimous support from other key creditors to proceed.

The recapitalization is expected to be completed by early Q1 2025 and will reduce Accell’s senior debt by approximately 40%, from €1.4 billion to €800 million. The plan also includes a cash infusion of €235 million to boost the company’s liquidity and fund growth initiatives, the company press release said. Accell has been navigating debt pressures since its acquisition in early 2022 by global private equity firm KKR. The acquisition was part of a €1.56 billion deal aimed at strengthening Accell’s position in the bicycle market.

Cummings leaves Ineos

Steve Cummings, the former pro who went on to become Director of Racing at the Ineos Grenadiers, has left the team, as reported by Daniel Benson on his Substack.

The news comes after months of speculation following a decision not to take Cummings to the Tour de France and his general absence from most events in the latter half of the season. His departure represents yet another change for an Ineos organization that is undergoing a major management shakeup. [Substack]

Strava use by security staff revealed locations of Biden and other world leaders

A report from Le Monde reveals that the locations of Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron, and other world leaders have been apparent at times thanks to the Strava usage of their security staff.

Le Monde cited instances of United States Secret Service agents using the fitness app to track their workouts while they were staying in close proximity to President Biden, revealing the president’s location. The report pointed to similar location leaks with other world leaders. [Le Monde]

Northwave releases new Revolution shoes

Northwave has introduced a “completely renewed” road cycling shoe, the Revolution. The new shoe features a brand new Morph Carbon sole with a stiffness index of 13 out of 15, the upper is crafted from PU synthetic leather with breathable mesh, and the closure is handled by a dual SLW3 rotor system. There are standard and wide fit options available in sizes 36 to 50, and the RRP stands at $249.99 a pair.


Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Cédrine Kerbaol at the Tour de France.

Kerbaol and Ceratizit-WNT part ways after WorldTour license delay

When Ceratizit-WNT missed a deadline to apply for a WorldTour license last month for administrative reasons, a contract clause kicked in to allow Ceratizit riders to terminate their contracts. Cédrine Kerbaol, one of the sport’s most promising youngsters and a stage winner at this year’s Tour de France Femmes, has done just that, even though the team has since squared away all of the WorldTour licensing paperwork.

Ceratizit announced on Tuesday that rider and team were “mutually” splitting up, although team manager Claude Sun expressed his discontent in the associated press release.

“Naturally, we’re disappointed to see Cédrine depart in this way but we respect her decision and wish her all the best for the road ahead.”

Kerbaol was a key part of Ceratizit’s success on the season, one that saw the team make modest gains in the overall WorldTour rankings. Where she will end up racing for 2025 remains unclear.

Pogačar’s termination clause is €200 million

La Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed details of Tadej Pogačar’s contract with UAE Team Emirates, and the financials provide an interesting sense of just how valuable the Tour de France winner is to his team.

According to La Gazzetta, Pogačar will earn €8 million a year over the course of six seasons, easily the highest yearly salary in the pro peloton. Perhaps more interestingly, there is a termination clause of €200 million in his contract, which will effectively guarantee no team can poach the Slovenian. [La Gazzetta dello Sport]

Pon to close Mainz factory and shift Santa Cruz and Cervélo production

Pon Bike Performance will close its Mainz, Germany facility and relocate European production of Santa Cruz and Cervélo bikes some 400 km away in Emstek, Germany, by April 2025. The Mainz location opened production just over two years ago and reportedly made some 3,500 bikes in the first year. The goal was to scale this up to 30,000 bikes annually and expand the team to nearly 100 employees – but Pon said the site struggled to reach these targets, prompting the shift to Emstek for improved efficiency. While the manufacturing shift will impact around 80 employees, Mainz will remain a hub for sales and marketing.

Albert has high expectations for Nys but preaches patience

Former cyclocross World Champion Niels Albert has high expectations for Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek), but he is also preaching patience. Albert weighed in on whether Nys’ latest results represent a big step forward after he won the European Continental ‘cross title and, more generally, after a great campaign on the road.

“Crossing a new threshold in cyclocross would mean: riding to the finish tomorrow with Wout van Aert and/or Mathieu van der Poel and beating him/them in the sprint,” Albert said in a Het Laatste Nieuws column. “We are not going to place him at that level. Again: not yet. Because turn it or twist it however you want: at a certain point it will go in that direction. I am not talking about equalling, let alone surpassing. But certainly ‘leaning close to.'” [Het Laatste Nieuws]

Sven Nys blames SRAM chain failures for keeping more Baloise Trek riders from Euros success

Speaking of the Nys family, Baloise Trek manager Sven Nys has suggested that more of his riders might have joined his son Thibau in putting up big results at Euros but for chain failures.

“We are riding with a new derailleur group from SRAM this season, which we have already had problems with during training,” Nys told Het Laatste Nieuws. “They addressed those problems, delivered new chains and then the problem was gone, but apparently not. We need to investigate that, chains are not supposed to fail when a rider puts a lot of force on the pedals.” [Het Laatste Nieuws]


Monday, November 4, 2024

Shirin van Anrooij at the Tour of Flanders.

Van Anrooij undergoes iliac artery surgery

Versatile Dutchwoman Shirin van Anrooij will not race cyclocross this season and will miss the beginning of her upcoming road campaign as she recovers from surgery to treat iliac artery endofibrosis.

“After some hard months on and off the bike, we finally got to the bottom of what was causing me problems in my left leg,” Van Anrooij said via a Lidl-Trek press release. “I have had successful surgery to repair a narrowing of my external iliac artery. It was definitely a scary discovery at first, but everything went well and I am happy that I can now start my recovery.”

Van Anrooij enjoyed a breakthrough 2023 campaign on the road that included a win at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, and she was again in the mix throughout the European spring this season. Later in the year, however, the 22-year-old began experiencing “experiencing unusual sensations in her left leg,” as Lidl-Trek explained in the press release. She was subsequently diagnosed with iliac artery endofibrosis.

Rider and team will hope that last week’s surgery will, after a full recovery, see Van Anrooij bounce back to her previous level. She is set to return to racing by May of next year.

Red Bull reportedly made Evenepoel a sizable offer that included bringing on teammates

After months of rumors around a potential transfer to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Remco Evenepoel has said he is staying put at Soudal-Quic kStep – apparently despite a hefty offer being on the table.

Het Laatste Nieuws reports that Evenepoel was offered a massive €10 million sum as well as spots for several of his favored supporters, although Cyclingnews reports that the monetary offer was likely closer to half of that per year, bringing it roughly in line with what Evenepoel now makes: between €4 and €5 million. In any case, Soudal-Quick Step boss Patrick Lefevere was not going to be convinced to let Evenepoel go, and Evenepoel will thus lead the way for the Belgian team into 2025.

Pidcock is back with his Ineos Grenadiers teammates

As Dan Benson reports on his Substack, Tom Pidcock was back to hanging out with his Ineos Grenadiers teammates on Sunday at a Manchester United game. The reunion comes a little less than a month after was surprisingly left out of the Ineos selection for Il Lombardia, a move followed by weeks of speculation that he might be leaving the team imminently.

Pidcock was rumored to be in talks with Q36.5 but more recent reports suggest that a deal fell through and that he will stick with the Ineos Grenadiers. His Sunday outing to see Manchester United – of whom Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe is a major shareholder – is further indication that he will ride on with Ineos for the foreseeable future, even if it isn’t exactly ironclad proof of anything. [Dan Benson Substack]

Patrick Bevin is retiring

Patrick Bevin had originally planned to ride on into 2025 with DSM Firmenich-PostNL, but the Kiwi is calling it a career instead.

Health issues have significantly impacted Bevin’s racing campaigns in recent seasons; the 33-year-old missed a significant stretch in 2023 due to a cardiac arrhythmia. His last race of the 2024 season came in March at the Volta a Catalunya. As it turns out, that will mark his final race as a pro as he now hangs up the proverbial wheels after a career that saw him take two stage wins at WorldTour races as well as the overall title at the 2019 Tour of Turkey.

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