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 …
Monday, April 28, 2025
- New 'Red Bull KM' will offer bonus seconds at the Giro d'Italia
- Pogačar: 'I don't think I can do this every spring'
- Rooijakkers able to laugh about cyclist on course at Liège
- British Paralympian Ruddock reported missing
- Winner's Circle: Del Grosso sprints to victory on stage 2 of the Tour of Turkey
New 'Red Bull KM' will offer bonus seconds at the Giro d'Italia
Red Bull already sponsors a team and several individual riders, and now the Austrian energy drink company is set to lend its branding to intermediate sprints at the upcoming Giro d'Italia. Organizer RCS and Red Bull have announced that 19 of the 21 stages of the race will feature a Red Bull-sponsored sprint point offering bonus seconds.
The "Red Bull KM" will start and finish with some all-important brand visibility for Red Bull, and six, four, and two bonus seconds will be awarded to the first three riders across the line at the end of the thousand-meter stretch. As with any intermediate sprint, many of the Red Bull KMs are probably going to be contested by breakaway riders, but there could be at least a few days where the bunch is involved and thus the general classification battle potentially impacted.
All of the mass-start stages in the Italian Grand Tour will feature the sponsor-supported chance for bonus seconds, leaving just the two time trial stages (2 and 10) free of Red Bull KM battles.
Pogačar: 'I don't think I can do this every spring'
After a Liège-Bastogne-Liège victory that tied him for third most Monument wins all time, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) acknowledged that taking on such a full Classics slate each year might not be sustainable.
"You always look in December at what your program will be: Where you can rest, where you can go on vacation, so that you don't burn yourself out," Pogačar said in a post-race press conference, as Wielerflits reports. "It will be difficult for me to do what I did this spring again. I don't think I can do this every spring." [Wielerflits]
Rooijakkers able to laugh about cyclist on course at Liège
An amateur in UAE Team Emirates kit rode onto the Liège-Bastogne-Liège course and pedaled alongside riders in Sunday's women's race, drawing confusion from the riders and the ire of commentators and viewers before a roadside marshal managed to halt his progress.
Fortunately, he did not cause any major incidents or have any significant impact on the race, and Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) was able to laugh about it afterwards when interviewed by Sporza. "I thought it might have been Tadej Pogacar," she joked, before noting that "it was very strange. I don't know what the intention was." [Sporza]
British Paralympian Ruddock reported missing
The BBC reports that British Paralympian Sam Ruddock, who has competed in cycling and athletics events, has been reported missing in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 35-year-old had been visiting with the intention of attending WrestleMania. A friend last heard from him on April 16, and he also posted an Instagram story that day.
According to reports, he did not check out of the hostel where he was staying but left his belongings in the room. [BBC]
Winner's Circle: Del Grosso sprints to victory on stage 2 of the Tour of Turkey
Under-23 cyclocross world champ and emerging road talent Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won stage 2 of the Tour of Turkey on Monday. The 21-year-old Dutchman proved fastest in an uphill sprint in Kalkan, besting Giovanni Lonardi (Polti-VisitMalta) and Lander Loockx (Unibet Tietema Rockets) to win the stage and take the race lead.
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