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, December 1, 2024
- Paris-Roubaix revelation Tom Devriendt opens up about what led to his retirement
- Brand and Vanthourenhout win and take over CX World Cup lead in Dublin
- Two-time national champion of Argentina tests positive for banned substance
- Quick Hits
Paris-Roubaix revelation Tom Devriendt opens up about what led to his retirement
Tom Devriendt has opened up about the diagnosis that scuppered his last two seasons and led to his retirement from professional cycling. Speaking to Sporza, the 33-year-old described the enormous weight loss he experienced in the winter before his debut season with Q36.5 in 2023, the immense fatigue that plagued his spring, and the stomach problems that continued into this past season.
“I was completely exhausted and empty, my whole body was out of balance,” Devriendt said, describing how he felt after the 2024 Tour of Flanders which he’d been desperately reluctant to race. “I can hardly put that feeling into words, it was as if my soul was leaving my body.”
Devriendt logged a DNF at the Tour of Flanders, for which he’d prepared by deliberately notriding (he’d spent 12 days in bed after the GP Monsère four weeks earlier) out of fear that he’d not make it to Oudenaarde, and then begged the team to leave him out of the Paris-Roubaix squad, the race where he’d suddenly shot into the spotlight by finishing fourth in 2022. Instead, the Belgian underwent months of testing, which resulted in the eventual diagnosis of Crohn’s, an inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract.
His last professional race was the 1.1 Druivenkoes-Overijse – won by Q36.5 teammate Jelte Krijnsen – and he’s since found peace in the decision to retire, which is, to him, a liberation. [Sporza]
Brand and Vanthourenhout win and take over CX World Cup lead in Dublin
The Cyclocross World Cup left mainland Europe for its second round in Dublin this weekend, and it was Lucinda Brand and Michael Vanthourenhout who came out on top, both of them ascending into the World Cup lead in the process.
Brand was clearly the strongest in the elite women’s field, beating world champion Fem van Empel to the win by 24 seconds, the latter enduring a tricky day on the fast Dublin course on which she seemed never to find her rhythm. She was easily best of the rest, though, with a delighted Zoe Backstedt taking third place in Ireland for the second year in a row.
The men’s race saw a much closer battle with the favourites sticking close together until the closing lap – that is, without European champion Thibau Nys who abandoned a few laps after being taken down in one of the many crashes on the first visit to the barriers. Vanthourenhout was among the most active throughout the eight laps, calmly handling a broken shoe which impeded his acceleration for a lap or two, and the Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal rider had enough left to win the sprint ahead of Toon Aerts and Felipe Orts.
Two-time national champion of Argentina tests positive for banned substance
34-year-old Argentinian rider Laureano Rosas, who races for the Continental-level Swift Carbon Pro Cycling Team, is facing a four-year ban after testing positive for an unspecified banned substance. This comes a year after compatriot Juan Pablo Dotti was provisionally suspended after a routine doping control showed the then-39-year-old had EPO CERA in his system during the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow.
It’s another blow to the Argentinian cycling scene, not to mention the next in a string of recent doping stories across the sport.
Quick Hits
Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) and Alli Anderson (ARA-Skip Capital) take GC victories at Australia’s prestigious Tour of Bright … British pro Mason Hollyman has been picked up by Portuguese Continental team Sabgal-Anicolor after his contract with Israel-Premier Tech was not renewed.
Saturday, November 30, 2024
- Sep Vanmarcke is forced to stop all sport and exercise due to further heart issues
- Tour of Valencia to go ahead despite devastating floods
- Elena Cecchini calls Demi Vollering-SD Worx fallout “pure gossip”
- 21-year-old Alina Lysenko makes history at Track Champion’s League
- Quick Hits
Sep Vanmarcke is forced to stop all sport and exercise due to further heart issues
Sep Vanmarcke, the former Classics specialist-turned-sports director at Israel-Premier Tech, was forced to retire in the middle of the 2023 season due to heart rhythm issues, and almost 18 months later, he’s been forced to take another step back after a recent surgical procedure revealed further complications. Doctors have advised the 36-year-old to stop all sports and exercise completely for the time being, at least until the new issues have been investigated. The news helped Vanmarcke reach the decision to step down from his DS role and recharge his batteries while he works out what the future holds. [Het Nieuwsblad]
Tour of Valencia to go ahead despite devastating floods
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster that struck Valencia in October, doubts were cast on the immediate future of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. However, a month later, the race’s organisers are determined to rebuild the race out of the literal mud in what will be a special commemorate event. The 76th edition will take place between 5-9th February 2025, with routes – understandably – to be confirmed in due course.
Elena Cecchini calls Demi Vollering-SD Worx fallout “pure gossip”
The drama around SD Worx-ProTime has been swirling since the summer, largely circling around Demi Vollering’s place in the team. Since confirming a move to FDJ-Suez for 2025, Vollering has spoken more about the dynamics at the Dutch WorldTeam, including a frosty relationship with co-leader Lotte Kopecky, but Elena Cecchini has little time for it.
“A lot has been written and said, but I think it is pure gossip,” the Italian told Bici.Pro as she builds for her fifth year with SD Worx. “Until the Tour, relations were calm and relaxed. I was not there in France, so I do not know if anything has changed since then. But in October we were all relaxed and happy with what we had built up. It is a pity to read certain things.”
21-year-old Alina Lysenko makes history at Track Champion’s League
Every year since its inception, the UCI’s Track Champion’s League has drawn some of the sport’s biggest stars while also providing an opportunity for less-known riders who rarely get a chance to race so often and in such company. And this season, its one of those newcomers who is setting the boards ablaze in young sprinter Alina Lysenko.
The 21-year-old by no means came out of nowhere. She was a prolific winner at junior level, taking gold in all four events she entered at each of the 2021 World Champs and Europeans, the latter in Appeldoorn where the TCL has been stationed for rounds 2 and 3 this weekend. As a Russian athlete she was unable to compete until earlier this year, but now racing as a neutral, Lysenko has turned up at the TCL and, frankly, made it look easy – by the end of Saturday’s round 3, Lysenko extended her winning streak to five races in a row (out of a possible six), in doing so beating the record shared by Harrie Lavreysen and Ellesse Andrews set last season.
After three of five rounds, all the classification leaders successfully defended their jerseys: sprinters Alina Lysenko and Harrie Lavreysen, and endurance riders Katie Archibald and Dylan Bibic.
Quick Hits
Lance Armstrong is paying for Bradley Wiggins’s therapy amid ongoing bankruptcy nightmare … Filippo Ganna is setting his sights on the Classics in 2025 … Both Ganna and Italian teammate Jonathan Milan have said they’ll set track aside for now in order to focus wholly on winning on the road … A mass crash in Friday’s Track Champion’s League round in Appeldoorn put the evening on pause as the heavily damaged track was patched up … 2022 Paris-Roubaix revelation Tom Devriendt has announced his retirement.
Friday, November 29, 2024
- Pidcock to Q36.5 could still happen
- Tanfield scrambles to launch a new British pro team
- Jungels: Cyclists can only push so much harder before reaching a ‘limit’
- Polish U23 time trial champ tests positive for dEPO
Pidcock to Q36.5 could still happen
Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) finds himself in the headlines in more than one way this week. The 25-year-old Brit had some interesting things to say as he reflected on his turbulent 2024 campaign in an interview with the Cyclist Magazine podcast, while La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Ciro Scognamiglio has reported on X that the potential for a transfer to Q36.5 is “still on the table.”
Pidcock was rumored to be very close to leaving Ineos Grenadiers for the Swiss second-division squad last month before the deal apparently fell apart at the last minute, but according to Scognamiglio, there could be renewed action on that front, and soon.
Meanwhile, Pidcock himself spoke to the challenges of being in the spotlight at all times, telling Cyclist Magazine that the media “want to show two sides of you: the winner or the loser. There is no middle ground. There never really is. You read so many different stories. I deleted everything in terms of social media during my holiday. That was wonderful.”
Tanfield scrambles to launch a new British pro team
In other British cycling news, 30-year-old Harry Tanfield is reportedly hoping to put together a pro team racing at the Continental level for 2025 as both Saint Piran and Trinity, the only British men’s Continental teams this season, are both folding. According to The British Continental, Tanfield is in talks with potential sponsors, and British Cycling has extended the deadline for applications to give the last-minute effort a bit more breathing room.
“We want to be a ground-up new team, to fill the gap left by Saint Piran and Trinity Racing stopping,” Tanfield said. “The idea is to provide a crucial platform for UK cycling and help under-23 riders to progress to the next level. With the licence deadline extended by two weeks, we have to act fast in order to have a budget agreed in principle.” [The British Continental]
Jungels: Cyclists can only push so much harder before reaching a ‘limit’
Both Bob Jungels (who is heading to Ineos next year) and Simon Pellaud (who is still hunting for a team after his Tudor contract was not renewed) have spoken about the ever-rising level of competition – and the related demands placed on riders – in the modern peloton.
“I think we will reach a limit at some point of mental strength and mental capacities of riders,” Jungels told Rouleur. “There is a lot less downtime, more time at altitude camps, and all year round you’re required to take care of nutrition and this or that. It’s becoming a tough year every year. I believe there is a time for everything – time to have beers with mates, time to weigh your rice. To have a long-lasting career, you have to find your own balance.”
Pellaud shared similar sentiments in an interview with Le Matin. “I sincerely wonder if cycling as it has become is viable in the long term. The level, the tempo, the risks we take … It’s madness,” he said. “The daily life that you have to lead to exist in the elite does not suit me. There are so many demands that there is no more room for anything other than cycling. The new generations have no life. I prefer to evolve lower but be competitive.”
Polish U23 time trial champ tests positive for dEPO
The UCI has provisionally suspended Kacper Gieryk, who won his third under-23 Polish time trial title this year, after the 21-year-old returned an adverse analytical finding for dEPO (a form of EPO) in a September doping control.
Gieryk’s team, the Continental-level Lubelskie Perła Polski, noted in a statement that the positive test came during the World Championships in Zurich, and said that they “remain fully ready to cooperate with the appropriate institutions to resolve this situation.”
Thursday, November 28, 2024
- Tour Colombia will not take place in 2025
- Czech rider tested positive for EPO variant two days before Worlds
- Maxim Van Gils and Lotto Dstny reach agreement on contract termination
- Jonas Vingegaard says he never knew carbon monoxide inhalation could be misused
Tour Colombia will not take place in 2025
Having only returned to the calendar last year after a four-year hiatus, the Tour Colombia (2.1) will not take place in February, organisers have announced.
The race’s comeback was made possible by sponsorship from the Colombian Ministry of Sports, but El Tiempo reports funding has now been slashed from €300,000 to €100,000, making the race financially unviable.
“We understand the importance of the Tour Colombia as an event of international allure and a source of national pride,” the race organisers said in a statement. “For this reason, we are trying – in collaboration with the new executive committee – to gather the necessary financial resources to make a return in 2026 possible.” [El Tiempo]
Czech rider tested positive for EPO variant two days before Worlds
Czech rider Daniel Vysočan, who rides for the Pierre Baguette team, has tested positive for CERA, a variant of EPO.
The 20-year-old tested positive in an out-of-competition test on September 25, two days before competing in the U23 road race at the World Championships in Zurich.
Pierre Baguette, which you may recognise as the team Peter Sagan has appeared for on occasion this year, has distanced itself from the rider, saying in a statement that Vysočan last raced for them on September 8 and he later competed in the World Championships without any involvement or support from the team.
Vysočan is listed on the UCI’s provisional suspensions page, and Pierre Baguette have suspended him immediately pending analysis of his B-sample. Should that also return positive, they’ve said they will terminate his contract.
Maxim Van Gils and Lotto Dstny reach agreement on contract termination
Maxim Van Gils and Lotto Dstny’s parting of ways is official, after the Belgian team announced the UCI had approved the termination of Van Gils’ contract.
“It is unfortunate that we are now parting ways, but we have reached a mutual agreement with Maxim and his management A&J All Sports. I am happy that we can now close this matter,” Lotto Dstny CEO Stéphane Heulot said in a statement. “If this change makes him happier and helps him to continue to grow, we will not stand in his way. We continue to look for young talents, that is one of the values of the team.”
It has not yet been announced who Van Gils will race for in 2025, with the 25-year-old issuing a similarly complimentary statement: “Seven years is quite a long time. I have so many great memories of the team. I am super grateful that Lotto Dstny gave me the chance to become a pro – as one of their U23 riders,” he said. “It is thanks to this team and its sponsors that I was able to grow and take the steps towards the rider I am today. I will always look back on this period with a big smile, even if I ride in a different jersey next year. I will never forget my second family.”
Amstel Gold Race “exploring all options” to allow 2025 edition to run as normal
Following the puzzling news that a NATO summit at the Hague in June will mean police motorcycles aren’t available for bike races between January 1-August 31, the Amstel Gold Race organisers aren’t going down without a fight.
“We had already heard rumours in the corridors in recent weeks that it would be difficult to get police escort for cycling races after April in 2025 due to the organisation of the NATO summit in the Netherlands,” Amstel Gold race director Leo van Vliet said, reported by Wielerflits. “The fact that this now applies from January 1, 2025 is completely new to us. We are being caught off guard by this.
“It is not that easy to have the race take place on circuits, because according to the UCI regulations we also need police assistance for this. We are now going to investigate all possibilities to continue the Amstel Gold Race on the original course. The Amstel Gold Race is the largest sporting event in the Netherlands with a lot of exposure abroad. I think that many, also at a high level, find it important that the Amstel Gold Race takes place.” [Wielerflits]
Jonas Vingegaard says he never knew carbon monoxide inhalation could be misused
Jonas Vingegaard has said he didn’t know carbon monoxide rebreathing could be misused for performance gains, rather than the measuring technique that he and his Visma-Lease a Bike team utilise.
Speaking in a pre-2025 season press conference, the Dane said: “I understand if it’s misused, but I never knew that it could be misused. I think I said before that we only used it to test if the altitude camps are working or not.
“So what I heard is that if you misuse it, it can be used instead of an altitude camp, and if you use it in that way, then they say there can be some health issues – but that’s not the way we use it. But with that said, also what I heard is that when you do this one time, it’s like smoking one cigarette and I mean, there are a lot of people smoking cigarettes every day.” [CyclingNews]
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
- Saint Piran folds, leaving British cycling scene without any men’s Continental teams
- Geraint Thomas will race the Tour Down Under
- Velocio expands into bags with two new products
- Dutch races face uncertainty for 2025
Saint Piran folds, leaving British cycling scene without any men’s Continental teams
The British cycling scene is now without any men’s Continental-level teams as Saint Piran announced its closure on Tuesday.
“With a tough season behind us, and more recently turbulent media coverage hitting sponsorship opportunities for next year, it has been decided that Saint Piran Pro Cycling UCI Continental Team and Saint Piran WRT Elite Development Team will not take to the startline in 2025,” the Cornwall-based team said via a statement.
Saint Piran had raced at the Continental level since 2021, competing in the domestic calendar as well as in a variety of international events, but the team found itself in the headlines for the wrong reasons this year. In October, Cycling Weekly reported that team boss Richard Pascoe had directed that fake stickers be put onto unbranded bikes that had never received UCI approval as racing-legal.
With Saint Piran and Trinity both shuttering this year, the Ineos Grenadiers organization will be the lone British men’s bike racing team at any UCI-registered level in 2025.
Geraint Thomas will race the Tour Down Under
In less grim news of British cycling, fans will have a chance to see Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) get his 2025 racing campaign underway in less than two months. Tour Down Under organizers have announced that the former Tour de France winner will make the trip to Australia in January.
Thomas last raced the Tour Down Under in 2023; back in 2013, he rode to a stage win, the points jersey, and third overall in Adelaide.
Velocio expands into bags with two new products
Apparel brand Velocio is branching out from clothing and accessories with a new line of bags. The first two products are a riding pack and duffel.
The backpack (US$159) offers between 25-35L of capacity thanks to a rolltop closure, internal organizer pocket and a padded laptop sleeve, and expandable side pockets. The 40L duffel (US$179) has a waterproof internal divider to keep grimy kit away from clean items and zips away when not needed. Both products are available in one colorway for now, and are available immediately. [Velocio]
Dutch races face uncertainty for 2025
The Dutch cycling federation (KNWU) has raised the alarm over potential difficulties for bike racing in the Netherlands in 2025 as a brief NATO summit in The Hague next year will apparently mean that motorcycle police officers will not be available to provide support to cycling events for a lengthy stretch.
“It is bitter and disappointing to have to conclude that the two-day NATO summit results in an absence of motorcycle police officers at cycling races for a period of no less than eight months, which is almost the entire cycling season,” said KNWU boss Maurice Leeser. It’s unknown how or why a two-day summit means that motorcycle officers will be unavailable from January 1-August 31, but Leeser said that “The KNWU will do everything in its power together with the organizers to ensure that the planned cycling races in 2025 go ahead.”
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
- Vingegaard responds to criticism from Hinault
- Denmark won’t send junior or U23 riders to Rwanda Worlds
- Seven in ten UK independent cycle traders boycott Black Friday
- Le Coq Sportif placed into receivership
- Scott launches the fifth generation Addict RC
Vingegaard responds to criticism from Hinault
Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike has fired back (figuratively) at Bernard Hinault after the five-time Tour de France winner pondered whether the two-time Tour winner actually enjoyed cycling, especially in comparison to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep).
“When you say something like that, you may not have in mind what has happened to me during this year,” Vingegaard told Ekstra Bladet, referring to his crash at the Itzulia Basque Country. “It is clear that if I had not had that accident, I would also have done more cycling races.”
Vingegaard and Visma are hoping that an uninterrupted Tour buildup will see Vingegaard top Pogačar again in July. [Ekstra Bladet]
Denmark won’t send junior or U23 riders to Rwanda Worlds
The Danish cycling federation has apparently decided that it will be too expensive to send junior and under-23 riders to Rwanda next year when it becomes the first African nation to host UCI Road Worlds.
“The decision was made on the basis of financial considerations and the special preparations required to compete at altitudes between 1,500 and 1,700 meters,” the Danish Cycling Union (DCU) said in a statement.
Seven in ten UK independent cycle traders boycott Black Friday
A survey by the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT) reports that 70% of UK cycle retailers will boycott Black Friday this year, citing rising operational costs and economic pressures. Over 82% of respondents said they believe the event harms independent businesses and that they are “already at rock bottom on prices” and find it difficult to compete with larger retailers.
“Our members are sending a clear message about the unsustainability of Black Friday discounting in the cycle trade,” ACT Director Jonathan Harrison said. “Many report that the event disrupts normal trading patterns, with shops experiencing quiet periods in October and November as customers delay purchases in anticipation of Black Friday deals.”
Le Coq Sportif placed into receivership
French clothing brand Le Coq Sportif has been placed in receivership after a hearing in the Paris Commercial Court.
Le Coq Sportif previously made the yellow jersey of the Tour de France and also provided clothing for the French Olympic team, but the company has been in financial trouble for some time.
Scott launches the fifth generation Addict RC
Scott has launched the fifth generation of its lightweight road bike, the Addict RC. The headline is that the Ultimate model tips the scales at 5.9 kg, mirroring the original Addict RC’s weight, albeit with disc brakes, wide tires and aero frame profiles.
Scott left no stone unturned in the pursuit of lightness, with every component lighter than on the previous model. All models in the range come in under 8 kg with the base model RC30 weighing a claimed 7.7 kg. Escape Collective has more on the bike here.
Monday, November 25, 2024
- Pogačar wants to win Milan-San Remo ‘more than anything’
- Richardson banned from rejoining Australian team but non-competition clause deemed ‘legally unenforceable’
- Vaughters: ‘Infuriating’ when ‘fat cats’ of the sport ‘throw the blame of safety issues in cycling on the riders’
- Van Aert still troubled by effects of knee injury
Pogačar wants to win Milan-San Remo ‘more than anything’
The list of major bike races that Tadej Pogačar has not won gets shorter each year, and UAE Team Emirates sports director (and former pro) Fabio Baldato says the world champ is hungry to check another race off of his list in 2025.
“Tadej wants the San Remo more than anything and we will try to put him in the condition to ride it at his best, even if it is the most difficult race for him,” Baldato told InBici. “It is a fast and technical race and you find yourself fighting with fast rouleurs, so it is a different race compared to what are his main characteristics, but it is also true that when Tadej sets his mind to a goal he manages to reach it.”
Pogačar was a top contender for Milan-San Remo already in 2024, but he settled for third there with Jasper Philipsen taking the victory, in no small part thanks to his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel. Pogačar will again target the first Monument of the season next year, and according to Baldato, he is hoping to complete the Grand Tour trifecta in 2025 as well.
“He won the Giro, the Tour too, he still needs to win the Vuelta [a España] so, knowing his great ambitions, I see him closer to the Spanish race, but we will define all the programs in December in the training camp like every year,” Baldato said. [InBici]
Richardson banned from rejoining Australian team but non-competition clause deemed ‘legally unenforceable’
Matthew Richardson, the 25-year-old track sprinter who announced earlier this year that he was switching from being an Australian-registered rider to racing for Great Britain, has been banned from ever racing for Australia again by AusCycling – but the federation has deemed any attempt at imposing a non-competition clause “legally unenforceable.”
Richardson announced his decision to switch nationalities after winning three medals on the track at the Paris Olympics, and AusCycling decided to levy a punishment on his decision after a review determined that he had “acted in a way which conflicted with the values of AusCycling, the Australian National Team and the broader cycling community.”
Vaughters: ‘Infuriating’ when ‘fat cats’ of the sport ‘throw the blame of safety issues in cycling on the riders’
Jonathan Vaughters has vented his frustration with the powers that be in cycling in response to Christian Prudhomme saying that “the riders are going too fast.”
“It is absolutely infuriating to me how these fat cats, who have never raced so much as a child’s tricycle, turning tens of millions in profit off the backs of others; squarely throw the blame of safety issues in cycling on the riders,” Vaughters wrote on X.
Van Aert still troubled by effects of knee injury
HLN reports that Wout van Aert may further delay the start of his cyclocross campaign as he evaluates whether he is ready to take on a discipline that involves running. According to the Belgian newspaper, “The knee injury he sustained in September during his heavy fall in the Tour of Spain has still caused him trouble running in recent weeks.”
Van Aert is expected to “focus extra on running exercises” over the next two weeks as he assesses his readiness to compete. [HLN]
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