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, February 16, 2025
- Pogačar ‘cannot confirm anything’ about Roubaix and Vuelta rumours
- Reigning UAE Tour champion Van Eetvelt wary of Pogačar’s laugh
- New world records set at Oceania then European track champs
- Winners’ circle: Momentum builds as big favourites come to the fore
Pogačar ‘cannot confirm anything’ about Roubaix and Vuelta rumours
Tadej Pogačar is preparing to make his 2025 debut at the UAE Tour from Monday, almost exactly a week after teasing the cycling world with a video of himself riding a ‘recon’ of the Trouée d’Arenberg. Rumours have swirled in the intervening days, but neither the rider nor his team is willing to confirm or convincingly deny that the world champion might make his Paris-Roubaix debut this April.
“It was really fun to do the recon, and I enjoyed a lot, but yeah, let's focus on the UAE Tour now, not Roubaix,” Pogačar told media at a pre-UAE Tour press conference. “Also about the Vuelta I cannot confirm anything.” [Cyclingnews]
Reigning UAE Tour champion Van Eetvelt wary of Pogačar’s laugh
Also at the UAE Tour is Lennert van Eetvelt, Lotto’s young GC rider who bookended 2024 with WorldTour stage race wins at the UAE and Guangxi tours. A year on from the Jebel Hafeet victory that launched the then-22-year-old from ninth to first, Van Eetvelt has no illusions about his prospects at his second UAE Tour.
“Every time you race against [Pogačar], his team drive so hard,” Van Eetvelt said in the press conference, sitting alongside the world champion. “I even heard him laugh out loud once [at the Clasica Jaén in 2023] … Right on the first gravel sector he let his team pull through. For ten minutes, it was super hard. At the front there were only twenty or thirty men left.
“After that he was just laughing at his teammates – that they were making it really easy for him and he was already certain of winning there.”
New world records set at Oceania then European track champs
At the start of January, one of the many rule and regulation changes delivered by the UCI was the change of the women’s individual pursuit distance to 4km, bringing it up to equal with the men’s. While Chloe Dygert remains the record holder at the old distance, this naturally means that a world record has been up for grabs.
Early benchmarks were set by Marion Borras and Hélène Hesters at the French and Belgian championships respectively. Next to take their chance was Olympic team pursuit silver medalist Bryony Botha (New Zealand), who obliterated Hesters’ time – twice – at the Oceania continental champs earlier this week in Brisbane, Australia, ultimately cutting more than ten seconds out of the record and bringing it down to 4:30.752.
The 27-year-old Kiwi’s record only stood for three days, though, before world champion Anna Morris (Great Britain) took to the velodrome at the European championships, the same Heusden-Zolder track on which Hesters had set her time in late January. The Welsh powerhouse first brought the time under the 4:30 milestone during qualifying, before breaking her own record in a European title-winning ride of 4:25.874, just shy of 17 seconds faster than Borras.
Greg van Avermaet sets up his own gravel team
A little over a year after retiring from professional road cycling, Greg van Avermaet has set up his own gravel team, GVA Gold Gravel. The prolific winner across Classics, stages and one Olympic road title, Van Avermaet was active in gravel racing immediately following retirement, and now he’s bringing teammates along with him.
GVA Gold Gravel comprises three riders, Julian Siemoens and former footballer Jelle van Damme joining Van Avermaet himself, and is sponsored by BMC, the brand Van Avermaet developed a strong relationship with during his road career.
Winners’ circle: Momentum builds as big favourites come to the fore
It’s getting busy in Europe, and as more and more riders open their accounts for 2025, we’re starting to get a picture of how at least then next few weeks may unfold. In Spain, Demi Vollering wrapped up her first GC title in the blue of FDJ-Suez as Elisa Balsamo took her second stage win in as many days at Setmana Valenciana. Meanwhile, further south, Milan Fretin won the 1.Pro-level Clasica de Almeria, scooping up a valuable 200 UCI points for Cofidis which is mired in the relegation fight.
In neighbouring Portugal, the hilly Figueira Champions Classic got its first-ever home winner in António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), ahead of Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) and Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), all of them under 23 years old.
With Sam Bennett (Decathlon-AG2R) winning his second sprint of the week, avoiding a pile-up in the finishing straight, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) wrapped up overall victory at the Tour de la Provence. And in the last round of the X2O Trofee in Belgium, Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines) and Sara Casasola (Crelan-Corendon) raised their arms in the twilight of the cyclocross season.
Saturday, February 15, 2025
- Julian Alaphilippe believes ‘there is less room for instinctive riders’ in modern cycling
- Clean slate for Niamh Fisher-Black at Lidl-Trek
- Castelli unveils Spirit of Gravel project
- Lorena Wiebes takes her first European track title with eyes on the 2028 Olympics
- Soudal-QuickStep’s Antoine Huby hit by a driver in training collision
- Winner’s circle: Pedersen and Balsamo take first wins of 2025
Julian Alaphilippe believes ‘there is less room for instinctive riders’ in modern cycling
A month or two into his high-profile transfer to Tudor Pro Cycling, 32-year-old Julian Alaphilippe has been taking time to reflect on his career and the evolutions he’s witnessed over the past decade or so.
“The main difference between now and ten years ago is that there is less room for instinctive riders like me,” Alaphilippe told Wieler Revue. “It's increasingly about the calculations that our trainers make … I'm living the sport the same way I did when I turned pro in 2014. A lot has changed, but I think it's important to stay who I am. And yes, that's becoming increasingly difficult in modern cycling. I try to evolve with the new reality, but I also want to stay myself.” [Wieler Revue]
Alaphilippe will make his debut in Tudor colours in Portugal, starting with the Figueira Champions Classic on Sunday, then the five-day Volta ao Algarve (19-23 February), before returning to France and his first WorldTour race of 2025 at Paris-Nice in early March.
Clean slate for Niamh Fisher-Black at Lidl-Trek
One of the handful of prolific riders to depart SD Worx-Protime this winter, Niamh Fisher-Black is looking forward to flourishing as a GC rider and team leader at her new home of Lidl-Trek.
“I joined SD Worx as a young girl and I think I was always going to be that young girl to them,” Fisher-Black told Cyclingnews, though quick to add that she has no hard feelings for the team that gave her plenty of opportunities despite overflowing with top riders. At Lidl-Trek, though: “A new environment maybe gives me a new opportunity to step outside of that box.” [Cyclingnews]
For more insight into Fisher-Black as a rider and a person, read Matt De Neef’s 2024 conversation with Niamh and brother Finn’s father here at Escape Collective.
Castelli unveils Spirit of Gravel project
Castelli has unveiled its 2025 Spirit of Gravel project, supporting a diverse group of gravel racers, adventurers, and cultural figures while embracing the privateer model. While not a team, the initiative provides individual riders with backing while allowing them to maintain personal sponsorships.
The lineup includes well-known names like Nathan Haas, Griffin Easter and Joe Laverick, spanning North America and Europe. Each rider will sport a custom-designed jersey, with sales supporting their careers.
Lorena Wiebes takes her first European track title with eyes on the 2028 Olympics
Fresh off a highly successful UAE Tour, Lorena Wiebes has this week been a headliner at the 2025 European Track Championships in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. She got to wear the rainbow bands in her first event on Wednesday night, but just missed out on another scratch title to Italy's Martina Fidanza.
Two days later, Wiebes made her first appearance in the omnium and overcame a bad finish in the tempo round to snatch the gold medal ahead of Britain's Maddie Leech, adding a first-ever European track title to last October's first-ever rainbow jersey.
Kit Nicholson has more on the story here at Escape Collective.
Soudal-QuickStep’s Antoine Huby hit by a driver in training collision
Young French up-and-comer Antoine Huby was hit by a driver while training on Thursday, leaving the 24-year-old with a broken scapula that will require Huby to spend three weeks immobile before returning to on-the-bike training in about six weeks.
Huby began his second season with the Belgian WorldTeam in Australia where he supported his teammates at the Tour Down Under and was then Soudal-QuickStep’s top finisher at the Surf Coast Classic, won by Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL) from home favourite Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe). [Soudal-QuickStep]
Winner’s circle: Pedersen and Balsamo take first wins of 2025
The Setmana Ciclista Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana continued Saturday with a wearing stage 3 into Valencia, but not even the second-category Port de l’Oronet (5.6km at 4.9%) in the last 35 km could keep Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Balsamo from scoring her sixth career stage win at the Spanish event, and her first of the season.
Vollering remains in the race lead with a 34-second buffer over former teammate Marlen Reusser (Movistar) – and 37 over the unretired Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) – going into the final stage.
Also opening their books for 2025 was Mads Pedersen, also of Lidl-Trek, who stayed clear on stage 2 of the Tour de la Provence with fellow late-aggressor Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), ultimately taking the stage and the leader’s jersey from day 1 winner Sam Bennett. Fred Wright made sure Bahrain Victorious would have two riders on the podium with third from the surviving bunch, as most of the fast men, including Bennett, finished around 90 seconds behind new leader Pedersen.
Other winners on Saturday included Q36.5’s Fabio Christen, who snatched the win in Murcia from a small group full of WorldTour riders, while Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) took late-season gongs at Exact Cross Sint Niklaas.
Oh, and Alejandro Valverde easily won the first race of the UCI Gravel World Series in Castellón, near Valencia.
Friday, February 14, 2025
- Racing on gravel makes Van Aert's 'heart beat a little faster'
- Groves could make his Tour debut this year
- Roglič still feels young
- Winner's Circle: Bredewold wins a sprint in Valencia, Bennett wins a sprint in Provence
Racing on gravel makes Van Aert's 'heart beat a little faster'
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) is set to kick off his 2025 season on Monday at the Clásica Jaén, the UCI 1.1-rated one-day in southern Spain with a healthy dose of gravel roads, and he will quickly follow that up with a trip to the Volta ao Algarve.
"Last year was my first time riding these races,” Van Aert said in a Visma statement. “It turned out to be the perfect preparation for the Flemish opening weekend. I finished third in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. We thought it would be a good idea to include the Clásica Jaén and the Volta ao Algarve in my program again. I think they are two beautiful, varied races where I can immediately test myself. A gravel race always makes my heart beat a little faster."
In the Algarve, Van Aert will be joined by Jonas Vingegaard, who will be making his own season debut in the Portuguese stage race.
Groves could make his Tour debut this year
As Sporza reports, a Tour de France debut could be on the cards for Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) after his busy slate of early season races.
The 26-year-old Australian will tackle Milan-San Remo, Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, the Brabantse Pijl, and the Amstel Gold Race in 2025 before heading to the Giro d'Italia. As Groves put it, "if I come out of the Giro healthy and well," he will then head to the Tour de France for the first time. [Sporza]
Roglič still feels young
Primož Roglič may be 35 years old, but the multi-time Grand Tour winner is not feeling his age yet, as Cyclingnews reports. Roglič gave some insight into his Giro-Tour plans and his mindset in an interview at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's media day.
"Inside I still feel 20, I can even color my hair to be more without grey ones to look younger," he said. "The goal, let's say, I had a really high level in [the] Vuelta last year, is to search for that shape and that level." [Cyclingnews]
Winner's Circle: Bredewold wins a sprint in Valencia, Bennett wins a sprint in Provence
Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-ProTime) won stage 2 of the Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana on Friday. The Dutchwoman topped Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and Liane Lippert (Movistar) at the end of an up-and-down stage where enough sprinters managed to survive to battle it out in Nules, Spain.
Sprinters also had a chance to fight for the opening stage of the Tour de la Provence, where Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) came out on top in the end. The Irishman bested Lukáš Kubiš (Unibet Tietema Rockets) and Alexis Renard (Cofidis) in Saint-Victoret, France.
Thursday, February 13, 2025
- Vollering's Valenciana win gives her 'confidence,' which she 'sometimes lost last year'
- Netflix's Unchained docuseries will end after this season
- Miles Teller will play Gino Bartali in upcoming movie
- A Jayco soigneur survived a heart attack at the 2022 Tour
- 2025 Zwift Academy finalists head to WorldTeam training camps
Vollering's Valenciana win gives her 'confidence,' which she 'sometimes lost last year'
Demi Vollering wasted no time at all in delivering results for her new team, soaring to victory in her FDJ-Suez debut on the opening stage of the Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana. After an impressive solo ride that denied the fast finishers a shot at a stage 1 sprint in Gandia, Spain, Vollering spoke to the importance of opening her proverbial account so quickly into the new season.
"I'm very proud that I could do it today already because it's still so early in the beginning and I still have some work to do," she said. "That I'm already here in good shape is a good sign for the season and gives me some confidence that I sometimes lost last year."
Vollering made the jump to FDJ after four years with SD Worx-ProTime. She enjoyed enormous success at the Dutch squad but by the end of last season, her relationship with a team constantly trying to give its multiple stars their opportunities to race appeared to be strained. She signed a two-year deal with FDJ and, on Thursday, immediately rewarded the team with a win.
Vollering's former teammate Marlen Reusser, who has since signed with Movistar, took runner-up honors on the day at 29 seconds back, while Anna van der Breggen of SD Worx-ProTime finished third, a further one second down, in a performance also worthy of the headlines. The two-time world road champ has returned to racing after a three-season hiatus and a third-place finish in her season debut will have her team optimistic of big things to come in her return to the pro peloton.
Netflix's Unchained docuseries will end after this season
The upcoming season of the Tour de France: Unchained docuseries will be the last. Netflix has decided not to renew the program, which gave Netflix viewers a closer look at life in the Tour peloton.
You can read more about it here at Escape Collective.
Miles Teller will play Gino Bartali in upcoming movie
Deadline reports that Miles Teller has been cast as Gino Bartali in a biopic from the directors of Free Solo.
At present, the project is set to be called simply "Bartali," and is expected to tell the story of Bartali's purported heroism helping Jews escape Italy during World War II. [Deadline]
A Jayco soigneur survived a heart attack at the 2022 Tour
A profile on Jayco-AlUla soigneur Masanori Miyajima posted to the team's website on Thursday tells the story of his entry into the sport and his long tenure working for various teams in cycling. Among the many interesting aspects of his story is his survival of a heart attack that happened as he was preparing for stage 1 of the 2022 the Tour de France.
Miyajima was cleaning one of the team cars in Copenhagen when he felt discomfort in his chest. Team doctor Matteo Beltemacchi, who is fortunately a heart specialist, examined Miyajima and advised that he go to the hospital immediately. He would spend the rest of the race recovering and would ultimately require a bypass surgery. Once recovered, Miyajima returned to the road with Jayco in 2023. [Jayco-AlUla]
2025 Zwift Academy finalists head to WorldTeam training camps
Zwift recently announced the eight finalists of its 2025 Zwift Academy program, the esports talent incubator that was the launchpad for the professional road careers of Jay Vine and Neve Bradbury, among other alumni.
Emily Dixon and Emma Ochoa (AUS), Anabelle Thomas (CAN), and Tjaša Sušnik (SVN) head to Portugal’s Algarve region for a training camp with Canyon-SRAM Zondacrypto where they’ll compete for a spot on the team. Meanwhile, men’s finalists Friederich Klein (GER), Elliot Bain (GBR), Mattia Gaffuri (ITA), and Noah Ramsay (CAN) are in Denia, Spain with Mathieu van der Poel and Alpecin-Deceuninck. The men’s academy winner will earn a spot on Alpecin’s Continental-level development team. And there's more talent rising: a source told Escape that in an esports race pitting Alpecin campers and Van der Poel against esports specialists, one of the specialists took the win, beating even Van der Poel. -Chris Schwenker, esports correspondent
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
- Pidcock will race San Remo and Liège but skip Flanders and Roubaix
- Van der Poel will start his season at Tirreno
- New bearing removal tool from Enduro
- Shimano reports sales dip and profits surge in 2024
- Winner's Circle: Yates wins the Tour of Oman after a dramatic battle on Green Mountain
Pidcock will race San Remo and Liège but skip Flanders and Roubaix
Q36.5 laid out Tom Pidcock's spring calendar on Wednesday, confirming that the team's marquee offseason acquisition will tackle Milan-San Remo and the Ardennes Classics, among other events. On the other hand, he will not race the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix, even though Q36.5 does have wildcard invitations to both races.
After starting his season at the AlUla Tour, Pidcock will resume racing next week at the Ruta del Sol and then he will take on the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad ahead of Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo, the Brabantse Pijl, the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Van der Poel will start his season at Tirreno
Mathieu van der Poel will get his 2025 season underway at Tirreno-Adriatico, he and his Alpecin-Deceuninck team revealed at a press conference on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Dutchman will then race Milan-San Remo alongside Jasper Philipsen, who is hoping to defend his title there.
Van der Poel is also expected to stat the E3 Saxo Classic and may add other events to his program ahead of his major spring targets: the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
New bearing removal tool from Enduro
Enduro Bearings has just released the BRT-040, a workshop tool that closely overlaps with the well-loved BRT-003 and BRT-002 press-fit bottom bracket tools. The BRT-040 is a bearing removal system for use on 24, 29 (DUB) and 30mm bearings, and can be used on some hub configurations, too. Priced at US$250, it’s designed to be matched up with Enduro’s new BRT-060 Linear Bearing press kit or older BRT-002/003/050 hub bearing presses.
Shimano reports sales dip and profits surge in 2024
Shimano’s latest financials show a 4.9% drop in sales to 451 billion yen (US$2.94 billion), but profits soared 25% due to cost controls and product demand. The bike division was down 5.2% in sales compared to 2023, which Shimano explained with weak retail demand and overstocked inventories. While the bike division results mark a three-year low, the 2024 revenue was still 24% higher than the pre-Covid figures in 2019.
Winner's Circle: Yates wins the Tour of Oman after a dramatic battle on Green Mountain
Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates XRG) successfully defended his Tour of Oman title, climbing to the top of the GC leaderboard on the fifth and final stage to Green Mountain. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-QuickStep) ascended to the stage victory on the day two seconds ahead of Yates, whose consolation prize was taking the race lead from David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ). Paret-Peintre moved into second overall while Gaudu finished third on the stage, 45 seconds back, falling to third overall in the process.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
- Chantal van den Broek-Blaak calls it a career
- TrainerRoad workouts can now be done on Zwift
- Kogel Speed Kolossos derailleur cage, now more oversized
- Garbaruk unveils new RS hubs and complete wheelsets
- Winner's Circle: Kooij wins again in Oman
Chantal van den Broek-Blaak calls it a career
Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (SD Worx-ProTime) announced on Instagram that she is expecting a second child and will thus be retiring for good. The former world champion, whose palmares also includes victories at the Tour of Flanders and many of the other biggest one-day races in the world, took the 2023 season off to welcome her first child and returned for 2024.
"This will be the end of my career as a pro cyclist and the beginning of new adventures & challenges." she wrote on Instagram.
"I had imagined my last season differently, give it one final push in the national jersey. But more than anything, I feel super happy and grateful for what’s ahead. There is no more beautiful reason to say goodbye." [Instagram]
TrainerRoad workouts can now be done on Zwift
Much awaited by users of both platforms, Zwift has enabled the integration of TrainerRoad workouts on its virtual riding platform. The integration is likely to appeal to those who seek the social or entertainment elements of Zwift, but want more structured training. Completing a workout on Zwift will present a survey related to the difficulty of the workout, a key feature of TrainerRoad’s feedback loop. [DCRainmaker]
Kogel Speed Kolossos derailleur cage, now more oversized
Kogel has overhauled its Kolossos oversized derailleur pulley cage, upping the lower pulley to a huge 20T (previously 19T), while the upper pulley sits at 12T or 14T depending on the derailleur model. The new aluminum cage is said to be stronger, stiffer, and now with a sleeker design. It is compatible with popular 11- and 12-speed derailleurs from Shimano and select models from SRAM, and you can expect to pay US$500 for it.
Garbaruk unveils new RS hubs and complete wheelsets
Polish component manufacturer Garbaruk has announced an all new wheelset system consisting of colorful proprietary RS hubs, straight pull aluminum RS spokes, and branded rims. Hubs have 60 points of engagement along with a variety of elements for claimed weight savings, durability, and ease of servicing. Available in a variety of configurations, including Gravel, XC/Downcountry, Trail/AM, and Enduro, each wheelset is customizable and built in the brand’s Kraków facility. Complete wheelsets range from US$1,660 to $1,805 with custom builds available as well. [Garbaruk]
Winner's Circle: Kooij wins again in Oman
Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) took his second victory of 2025 and his second so far in the Tour of Oman on Tuesday's stage 4, outsprinting Giacomo Nizzolo (Q36.5) and Orluis Aular (Movistar). Groupama-FDJ's David Gaudu finished safely in the bunch to retain his overall lead.
Monday, February 10, 2025
- Pogačar recons Roubaix cobbles
- Kooij's Tour dreams leave his future at Visma-Lease a Bike uncertain
- Wildcard hopefuls acknowledge high stakes of invitations
- Winner's Circle: Gaudu climbs to the race lead in Oman
- National e-sports champions crowned in four countries
Pogačar recons Roubaix cobbles
Tadej Pogačar is set to start his 2025 racing season one week from now at the UAE Tour, but he was already making headlines on Monday simply by going for a training ride. The world road champion and former Tour of Flanders winner spent the day reconning some key cobbled sectors of the Spring Classics – including the Trouée d'Arenberg of Paris-Roubaix.
"Guess the place," Pogačar wrote to caption an Instagram video of him riding the famous Arenberg Trench, apparently shot by teammate Tim Wellens. Pogačar had already spent the morning riding parts of Tour of Flanders route.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG captain has said that adding another win at the Tour of Flanders is a key goal for his spring campaign, but he has never raced Paris-Roubaix. Monday's training ride would certainly seem to suggest that he is considering making his debut in the French one-day in April, although it could just be that he likes keeping people guessing.
Daniel Benson wrote on X that UAE's Joxean "Matxin" Fernández said that "Paris-Roubaix remains off Pogačar's race programme for 2025 at this moment in time."
Kooij's Tour dreams leave his future at Visma-Lease a Bike uncertain
Like most sprinters, Olav Kooij is hoping to one day put his speed on display at the Tour de France, but as Visma-Lease a Bike focuses on Jonas Vingegaard's yellow jersey dreams, it is not clear whether there will room on the team's Tour roster for Kooij any time soon. For now, Kooij is set to race the Giro d'Italia this season, and racing director Grischa Niermann has told Sporza that Kooij's future with the team after his contract expires this year is unclear.
"I cannot say at the moment that Olav will definitely stay with our team 100%," Niermann said. "It is about opportunities and money, we will discuss that during the season." [Sporza]
Wildcard hopefuls acknowledge high stakes of invitations
As second-division teams await word of wildcard invitations to the Grand Tours for 2025, Wielerflits spoke to a few of the highest-profile ProTeams to provide some context for what those invitations mean for the teams that are not guaranteed participation in the sport's biggest events.
TotalEnergies sports director Thibau Macé summed up what is at stake for his team as it waits on the ASO to decide who to invite to the upcoming Tour de France: "We are a French team. We have French sponsors. For the French, the Tour is one of those two or three top events in the world that we drop everything for, along with the World Cup and the Olympic Games. All the riders, teams and sponsors want to be part of that. If that doesn’t work out, it’s a disaster for us." [Wielerflits]
Winner's Circle: Gaudu climbs to the race lead in Oman
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) ascended to victory and the GC lead on Monday's stage 3 of the Tour of Oman. The 28-year-old Frenchman outkicked Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates XRG) by one second at Eastern Mountain, with Damien Howson (Q36.5) taking third on the day, five seconds back. Gaudu now has a six-second lead over Yates in the overall standings with two stages to go.
The Asian Continental Championships are underway this week as well. Uzbekistan's Yanina Kuskova (who races for Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi most of the season) took the women's individual time trial title ahead of the UAE's Safia Alsayegh and Japan's Tsuyaka Uchino.
National e-sports champions crowned in four countries
The world of e-sports cycling continues to expand with national championship races in four countries the last two weeks. In the US, Hayden Pucker delivered a dominant display, sealing victory with a 20 km solo break. Kristen Kulchinsky defended her title to become the second back-to-back winner in four USA Cycling-sanctioned e-sports national championships. Thomas Thrall and Tiffany Penner took the Canadian national championship wins. In Denmark, Julie Marckmann Sørensen also clinched her second straight title, while Asger Paaske Frederiksen took the men’s title. Mike Sōderstrom and Johannes Randrop Keldig claimed Swedish national titles.
Three of the four races were hosted on MyWhoosh (Denmark was on Zwift), and Denmark and Sweden’s events were also shown on broadcast TV in the respective nations. –Chris Schwenker, e-sports correspondent
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