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, May 18, 2025
- Roglič plummets down the GC standings after crash and puncture on Giro’s stage 9
- Vollering takes her third Itzulia title, breaking the trend (sort of)
- Valverde teases Movistar’s continued interest in Ayuso
- Winner’s Circle: Van Aert takes comeback victory as GC gets shakeup at the Giro
Roglič plummets down the GC standings after crash and puncture on Giro’s stage 9
Primož Roglič had done a decent job of maintaining his position for much of the Giro d’Italia’s treacherous stage 9 incorporating the sterrati of Strade Bianche, but it all began to fall apart after what at first looked like a fairly innocuous crash on the second sector. Tom Pidcock and Juan Ayuso were also among those caught out, but a puncture a few kilometres later put Roglič at a further disadvantage as Isaac Del Toro and Wout van Aert were racing towards a potentially race-defining result.
For a short period, it looked like the chasers might regain contact with the Ayuso group, but the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe leader was isolated with about 50 km of road and gravel ahead of him, the lion’s share of work falling to young teammate Giulio Pellizzari. By the finish, the 2023 Giro champion had lost two minutes 22 seconds to new race leader Del Toro and slipped to 10th overall, with Ayuso landing second over a minute down on his young teammate.
Roglič now has about 48 hours to nurse his literal and metaphorical wounds before stage 10’s ITT, but with several strong time trialists ahead of him, including the new maglia rosa, he’s got a lot of work to do.
Vollering takes her third Itzulia title, breaking the trend (sort of)
Itzulia Women finished on Sunday with its typical finale into Donostia. With the GC so finely poised behind race leader Mischa Bredewold, and SD Worx-Protime’s historical clean sweep of stage wins under threat after Van der Breggen’s abandon, stage 3 was every bit as dramatic as the two opening days.
In the end, Vollering did what she’s now done three times in four editions of Itzulia, starting at the inaugural edition which she won with SD Worx, by attacking on the final climb and soloing to the finish, winning with an advantage of 55 seconds over Sarah Van Dam (Ceratizit) and Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal), with Vollering’s teammate Évita Muzic leading the small Bredewold group home just three seconds later.
Vollering’s seventh stage win and third overall victory marks a familiar culmination for the Basque stage race, and yet one trend has finally been broken, and that’s the tight grip held by her former team. Vollering and FDJ-Suez stood atop the final podium, Bredewold slipping to second with Van Dam moving up to third.
Read more on this story from Abi Mickey here at Escape Collective.
Valverde teases Movistar’s continued interest in Ayuso
Juan Ayuso has an existing contract with UAE Team Emirates-XRG through to the end of 2028, but with Tadej Pogačar set to be de facto leader for at least as long, and other young riders moving up through the team’s ranks, there have been mutterings as to the potential for the young Spaniard to spread his wings for pastures new.
Most natural would be Movistar, essentially Ayuso’s home team, and team’s former rider-cum-ambassador Alejandro Valverde – also the Spanish national team coach – has stirred the rumour mill that last grumbled in earnest last summer.
“There is interest from Spain and Movistar Team, although the necessary money is lacking. UAE is the strongest team financially and it's complicated,” Valverde told Bicisport at the Grand Fondo Nove Colli in Cesenatico. “But yes, I would like to see Ayuso in a Spanish team like Movistar – hopefully he will be in the future. I wish him the best wherever he is. May he enjoy cycling. He has the legs to win.”
Winner’s Circle: Van Aert takes comeback victory as GC gets shakeup at the Giro
On a potentially race-defining stage of the 2025 Giro d’Italia, Wout van Aert emerged victorious after responding to the right moves amid the chaos of the so-called Strade Bianche stage. He’d bridged to the remaining breakaway riders with Isaac Del Toro and three Ineos Grenadiers, including Egan Bernal, after a crash in the GC group on the second gravel sector. With mechanical or fatigue doing away with Bernal’s support riders, Del Toro was able to shake off all but the Belgian, who was well within his right to sit on the young Mexican’s wheel as Del Toro reached out for the pink jersey.
Van Aert had looked like he was on his knees in the run-up to the infamous climb into Siena, but he held onto the young climber’s back wheel as they flew up the smooth flagstones, then launched into the lead as the road flattened on the way into the Piazza. Van Aert took the 50th road win of his career as Del Toro took over the pink jersey with a lead of over a minute to his teammate in second place, the pack thoroughly shuffled behind them.
Elsewhere, there were wins for two Brits as the Four Days of Dunkirk wrapped up, Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech) taking stage 5 and Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers) sealing the overall after his victory on the previous day. At the Tour of Hungary, there was more success for UAE Team Emirates-XRG as Juan Sebastián Molano got the better of two-time stage winner Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) as Harold Martín López (XDS-Astana) wrapped up overall victory. In Germany, Matthew Brennan added another sprint win to his 2025 tally at Rund um Köln, beating Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) with the support of the Visma-Lease a Bike development team.
Saturday, May 17, 2025
- Bredewold tightens SD Worx stranglehold on Itzulia for at least one more day
- Dr Sarah Ruggins sets new overall world record cycling length of UK and back
- Van der Breggen abandons Itzulia after stage 1 crash
- Zingle abandons Four Days of Dunkirk after crashing in the leader’s jersey
- Winner’s Circle: Bredewold makes history (again)
Bredewold tightens SD Worx stranglehold on Itzulia for at least one more day
For the second year in a row, Mischa Bredewold has scored back-to-back stage wins at Itzulia Women, further extending the SD Worx-Protime victory sweep at the Basque WorldTour event. The Dutch squad has won every single stage since the race’s inception in 2022, six going to Demi Vollering, including all three stages at the inaugural edition, four are now held by Bredewold, and one stage plus 2022 overall victory for Marlen Reusser.
However, with the only past winners in the race’s short history now representing rival teams FDJ-Suez and Movistar (Reusser not in attendance; Liane Lippert taking leadership at this race), the Basque race was expected to be more open in 2025, but that has so far not been the case. That said, Anna van der Bergen’s unfortunate crash on stage 1, and subsequent withdrawal before Saturday’s stage – see below – has left SD Worx-Protime unusually weakened.
Bredewold herself has said it’ll take “an extremely good day” to defend the leader’s jersey on Sunday’s San Sebastián stage, which means Itzulia is likely to get a history-making first winner not wearing an SD Worx jersey – even if that rider might be two-time winner Vollering, who currently sits sixth overall, just 19 seconds down on her former teammate.
Dr Sarah Ruggins sets new overall world record cycling length of UK and back
Dr Sarah Ruggins successfully set a new overall record riding 2,700 km from John O’Groats to Land’s End and back in 5 days 11 hours and 14 minutes (subject to official verification), beating the fastest man by 6 hours and 43 minutes, and the fastest woman by 4 days 17 and 40 minutes. The 37-year-old Canadian, who is based in the English county of Gloucestershire, only started cycling a couple of years ago, switching from running after years of recovery from an autoimmune disease that left her temporarily unable to walk or use her hands.
“There’s truly no better feeling than doing exactly what you said you were going to do.”
Through this remarkable record attempt, Ruggins has been raising money for two charities that aim to help people rebuild their lives through cycling, The Bike Project and Bikes for Refugees. Her journey is also set to be captured in a feature-length documentary film.
Van der Breggen abandons Itzulia after stage 1 crash
After her resurgent third place finish at the recent Vuelta Femenina, Anna van der Breggen headed into Itzulia Women, the next Spanish stage race on the packed Women’s WorldTour calendar, with bolstered leadership status. The first of three stages was won by teammate Mischa Bredewold, but 8 km before the finish, Van der Breggen had crashed hard.
The 35-year-old was able to finish the stage 43 seconds after her young compatriot, but following medical examination on the morning of stage 2, Van der Breggen was withdrawn from the remainder of the race.
Zingle abandons Four Days of Dunkirk after crashing in the leader’s jersey
Visma-Lease a Bike’s Axel Zingle was leading the Four Days of Dunkirk by four seconds after taking victory on stage 1, then fourth and third in the subsequent stages, but then 24 km from the stage 4 finish into Famars, the Frenchman was reported to have abandoned after a crash – he later posted a picture on Instagram of himself sitting in a hospital corridor offering a thumbs up and a smile, confirming that he'd hurt his neck but had not suffered any significant injuries.
The attacking efforts of Ben Swift in the last 20 km of the race briefly put the oldest participant in the virtual lead, but he and fellow attacker Sam Maisonobe (Cofidis) were caught just before the line, where Swift’s Ineos Grenadiers teammate Sam Watson took the stage win and race lead ahead of Carlos Canal (Movistar) and Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ). Watson leads Askey overall by 3 seconds with one stage to go.
Winner’s Circle: Plapp takes solo stage win, Bredewold makes history (again)
The Giro d'Italia has had its first breakaway victory after a long battle on stage 8 of the race. Luke Plapp was one of two Jayco-AlUla riders to make it into the 20-rider breakaway that took two hours to form, then went solo about 40 km from the finish, a last fragmentation of a relentless day out for the attackers. Wilco Kelderman (Visma-Lease a Bike) finished second, and third across the line was XDS-Astana's Diego Ulissi, who took the pink jersey from Primož Roglič as the peloton finished almost six minutes after the winner – read more on stage 8 here at Escape Collective.
Stage 2 of Itzulia Women was an attack-filled slug fest that endured all the way into the last few kilometres. At one point mid-stage, a strong group of about 25 riders, including the race leader Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime), and defending overall champion Demi Vollering with FDJ-Suez teammate Évita Muzic, established an advantage over the peloton, but ultimately the stage was decided by another reduced sprint.
Bredewold launched hard and fast, and no one could compete, Liane Lippert (Movistar) and Soraya Paladin (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) settling for podium finishes and a bit of a bump in the overall standings with one very challenging stage to go. Defending champion Vollering sits sixth overall just 19 seconds down, and will hope for a third career solo victory into Donostia on Sunday’s hilly finale. If she does so, she’ll finally break the SD Worx stranglehold.
Elsewhere, Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) scored his first victory of the year at the Tour of Hungary ahead of double stage winner Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) and Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek), and Sam Watson took his second victory of 2025 for new team Ineos Grenadiers at the Four Days of Dunkirk, taking over the race lead in the process.
Friday, May 16, 2025
- Jan Hirt finished Giro’s crash-marred stage 6 on a femur fracture
- Man charged for attempted bodily harm after protest at the Giro
- Pidcock actually does have GC ambitions at the Giro, says Q36.5 director
- Bredewold keeps SD Worx-Protime four-year win streak alive in Itzulia
- Merida and Ideal report Q1 sales figures
- Winner's Circle: Ayuso closes to within seconds of pink on first Giro summit finish
Jan Hirt finished Giro’s crash-marred stage 6 on a femur fracture
The inevitable fall-out from the mass crash on stage 6 of the Giro d’Italia continued on the morning of stage 7 with the news that Jan Hirt (Israel-Premier Tech) and Michel Ries (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) would not appear at the start.
Hirt, a Giro stage winner in 2022 and key climbing domestique for GC rider Derek Gee, was able to finish the last 70 km of the stage to Naples – crossing the line last of 176 finishers – and as a precaution he was taken straight to hospital. Unfortunately, a scan then revealed a trochanter fracture, i.e. at the top of the femur near the hip, meaning he’ll need time off the bike to recover.
Arkéa’s Ries escaped without broken bones, but took a hard hit to his left knee that will require a few days of full rest. Jai Hindley, meanwhile, has confirmed he was diagnosed with a light concussion and fracture in his L3 vertebra after leaving the race in an ambulance immediately following the crash.
Man charged for attempted bodily harm after protest at the Giro
The drama wasn’t over after the crash that disrupted stage 6 of the Giro into Naples. The all-day breakaway of Taco van der Hoorn and Enzo Paleni were still attempting to resist capture 3 km from the line when two men ran out into the road holding up caution tape and what looked like a length of rubber tube, obstructing them both before trying to do similar to the charging peloton.
A 67-year-old local man has since been charged with attempted bodily harm and resisting a public official, reports local news website Il Gazzettino Vesuviano. He and his cohort were reportedly part of an organised protest against Israel-Premier Tech’s participation in the race.
Pidcock actually does have GC ambitions at the Giro, says Q36.5 director
Tom Pidcock had asserted that he wasn’t interested in the GC at his first Giro d’Italia with Q36.5, but after a solid first week that left him within a minute of Mads Pedersen’s lead going into stage 7, sports director and Pidcock’s personal coach Kurt Bogaerts has backtracked slightly.
“Tom will try to get involved in the battle for pink for as long as possible,” Bogaerts told Het Laatste Nieuws. “The outside world won't care, but if Tom rides top 10 in the final standings in this Giro, I think we can be satisfied. To succeed in that, he can't make any more mistakes.”
Bredewold keeps SD Worx-Protime four-year win streak alive in Itzulia
SD Worx-Protime have won every stage of the three-day Itzulia Women since its inaugural edition in 2022, and on Friday, Mischa Bredewold kept the streak going by winning the lumpy opening stage of the WWT stage race. The Dutchwoman, fresh off a near stage win at La Vuelta Femenina, bested Millie Couzens (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Margaux Vigié (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the reduced bunch sprint to take the win.
Unfortunately, Bredewold's leader Anna van der Breggen went down with 8 km to go and lost 43 seconds to her GC rivals. After the race Bredewold said she was unaware Van der Breggen had gone down and only heard about the crash after the finish.
Merida and Ideal report Q1 sales figures
Some good news from two of Taiwan's largest bike manufacturers. Merida reported Q1 sales of NT$7.568 billion (about $250 million), up 29% year-over-year. Net operating income rose to NT$603 million, while total profit reached NT$452 million. EPS was NT$1.40. April revenue was down 14% from last year.
Ideal reported Q1 sales of NT$743 million (about $25.5 million), up 18.5%. The company posted a NT$73 million operating loss and a NT$71 million total loss. Loss per share was NT$0.22. April revenue rose 25% year-over-year.
Rapha and Patta enter new collaboration aimed at increasing diversity in cycling
Two years after their first collaboration, Rapha and Amsterdam streetwear brand Patta are partners once more, working together on a clothing line that aims at increasing diversity in cycling.
Th new range is inspired by the Surinamese phrase ‘Lobi Libi’, meaning ‘love of life’. It will include core riding apparel and accessories from Rapha, and off-bike casual items from Patta, all available from Friday 23 May. [Rapha]
Winner's Circle: Ayuso closes to within seconds of pink on first Giro summit finish
On stage 7's first summit finish of the Giro d'Italia, Juan Ayuso and UAE Team Emirates seemed to take charge of proceedings, with the Spaniard leaving behind his closest rivals with a blistering acceleration in the final kilometre that saw him win by four seconds. Teammate Isaac Del Toro crossed the line second ahead of a magnificent Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), with Primož Roglič's (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) fourth place enough to take over the pink jersey, but his lead is only 4 seconds. None of the other GC contenders lost significant time, and, though the Slovenian is content in the race lead, it's UAE that looks like a force to be reckoned with ahead of the big mountains to come.
Elsewhere, Decathlon-AG2R's Pierre Gautherat sprinted to victory on the third stage – of five – at the Four Days of Dunkirk, finally scoring his first career victory within a week of finishing runner-up to a teammate at Tro-Bro Léon. Over at the Tour of Hungary, Harold Martín López put another win on the board for XDS-Astana, winning the queen stage and taking over the race lead with two days to go.
Thursday, May 15, 2025
- Jai Hindley crashes out of Giro, stage 6 temporarily neutralised
- Wolf Tooth joins the Schwalbe Clik Valve party
- Canyon expands its Pace Bar offering to Ultimate and Endurace models
- Standert updates Kreissäge RS
- Huge crash in Hungary forces abandons
- Rex launches Black Magik drip wax
- Garmin launches HRM 600 heart rate monitor with rechargeable battery
Jai Hindley crashes out of Giro, stage 6 temporarily neutralised
A large crash during stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia caused the race to be temporarily neutralised, as medical staff attended to injured riders. At the time of writing, the resulting abandons include Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Jai Hindley, a key domestique for race favourite Primož Roglič, and Intermarché-Wanty's Dion Smith. This is a developing story.
Wolf Tooth joins the Schwalbe Clik Valve party
Announced last year, Schwalbe’s Clik Valve has been gaining uptake through its simple click on-and-off design that provides more air flow and is easily adaptable to existing valve standards.Wolf Tooth is now adding Clik Valve versions to its existing EnCase mini pumps range.
Additionally, the company is first to market with a range of coloured Tubeless Valve Stems that feature the technology. In both cases, owners of existing Wolf Tooth EnCase pumps and/or tubeless valves will be able to easily convert to Clik Valve with small parts.Tech editor Dave Rome has previously discussed the Clik Valves on the Geek Warning podcast, and a full review can be expected in the near future.
Canyon expands its Pace Bar offering to Ultimate and Endurace models
Canyon has announced today that the Pace Bar, first released on the Aeroad, will be making its way onto the Ultimate and Endurace lineup. The Pace Bar uses a modular design that allows for the width of the bar to be adjusted in situ by up to 50 mm, whilst the drops can also be replaced entirely with two drop profiles available (classic and aero). The Pace bar also allows integrated accessory mounting for computer mounts or aero extensions courtesy of the gear groove in the centre of the bar.
For more information on the bars and the models that it is now available, head over to the Canyon website.
Standert updates Kreissäge RS
Standert has released a new iteration of the Kreissäge RS, its scandium-alloy race bike, redesigned with aero shaping, more stiffness, and 35mm tyre clearance, while keeping the same geometry.
The Berlin-based brand said the new frame has a reshaped front end with an “hourglass” head tube and revised top and down tubes developed using CFD modeling. Updates also include a wider 86 mm T47 bottom bracket and UDH compatibility.
The frameset costs €2,000, and complete builds start from €6,300 (Ultegra/DT Swiss ARC 1400).
Huge crash in Hungary forces abandons
A massive and nasty crash has blighted the second stage of the Tour of Hungary, forcing the abandons of Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe's Sam Welsford and Ryan Mullen, as well as one of the GC favourites in UAE Team Emirates' Pablo Torres.
Rex launches Black Magik drip wax
Finnish bike and ski lubrication brand Rex has launched a new Black Magik Drip Wax, which is essentially a liquid version of its Black Diamond Hot Wax in an easier, bottle-applied format.
Rex claims that in lab testing, a single application protected the chain for over 1,000km. Black Magik is available for pre-order now and ships in May.
Garmin launches HRM 600 heart rate monitor with rechargeable battery
Garmin has released a new HRM 600 heart rate monitor with more data tracking, on-device storage, and a rechargeable battery.
Battery life is rated for up to two months on a single charge, and the strap is now available in two sizes (XS–S and M–XL). As part of the activity recording without a paired device, the strap can track distance, speed, steps, and intensity minutes, which can be synced later to Garmin Connect. There are also new data features for running dynamics, such as “step speed loss” (for use with the latest Forerunner watches). The HRM 600 costs £150 / US$150.
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
- 2025 Tour de France to finish with Montmartre climb
- Van der Poel to make MTB comeback at Nové Město
- Cat Ferguson wins Navarra Classic in horrendous conditions
- Ceratizit ends sponsorship, team seeks new backer
- Slightly more Americans rode bikes in 2024
- Giant sales up and profit down in Q1
- Pogačar teams up with Continental
2025 Tour de France to finish with Montmartre climb
The 2025 Tour de France will close with a twist: a final stage through the cobbled climb of Montmartre, passing the iconic Sacré-Coeur. Inspired by the route used in the 2024 Olympic road race, the course revives the crowd-packed spectacle that saw riders tackle Paris’s steepest streets.
It’s a major break from tradition. Since 1975, the Tour has wrapped up with a straightforward sprint stage on the Champs-Élysées—except in 2024, when Olympic prep moved the finale to Nice.
During the Olympic road race, riders climbed Montmartre three times via Rue Lepic before finishing at the Trocadéro. The Tour stage is likely to echo some of that route, though it will finish on the Champs. Exact details won’t be released until a May 21 press conference. One challenge: the Tour peloton is nearly twice as large as the Olympic field, with 176 riders expected to navigate the narrow, historic streets. [L’Equipe]
Van der Poel to make MTB comeback at Nové Město
Mathieu van der Poel will return to mountain bike racing at the UCI World Cup round in Nové Město, May 23–25. The Dutch star hasn’t raced on the MTB World Cup circuit since 2021 and aims to prep for a potential run at the 2028 Olympics. After the Czech event, he’ll return to road racing, including the Tour de France, before refocusing on MTB later in the season. Teammates Puck Pieterse and Sam Gaze will also be back in action, starting in Heubach this weekend.
Cat Ferguson wins Navarra Classic in horrendous conditions
Cat Ferguson (Movistar) took her first win of the year on Wednesday at the Navarra Classic in Spain. The British rider bested Soraya Paladin (Canyon-SRAM Zondacrypto) and Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) to take the victory after hours of racing in the pouring rain.
Navarra Classic takes place between La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es and Itzulia Women, and the peloton is usually stacked with WorldTour talent as they traverse from the Grand Tour to the next WorldTour stage race in Spain. This year's edition was a race of attrition, and the bunch splintered each time they tackled one of the signature short climbs. There were some attacks and failed breakaways with Liv AlUla Jayco pushing the pace most of the day. In the end, it came down to a select group featuring most of the top teams. No one was a match for Ferguson in the sprint. Ferguson has notched a podium already at the WWT Trofeo Alfredo Binda, along with a few impressive performances. She's also had a few gnarly crashes, once on the descent from the Poggio di Sanremo in Sanremo Women and again in La Vuelta's second stage last week. The Junior World ITT and Road champion is an incredible talent to watch and signed a long-term contract with the Spanish team last season.
Ceratizit ends sponsorship, team seeks new backer
The Ceratizit Group will end its sponsorship of the Ceratizit Pro Cycling team after the 2025 season, wrapping up a decade-long run in women’s cycling, according to Cyclingnews reporter Stephen Farrand. Despite the exit, the WorldTour team says it remains “firmly committed” to continuing and is actively seeking new sponsors ahead of the next UCI license cycle (2026–2028). The 14-rider squad – home to national champions and stage winners like Cédrine Kerbaol (who left for EF Education-Oatly for 2025) and Elena Hartmann – was promoted to WorldTour status in 2024. Team manager Claude Sun is leading the push to secure the team’s future. [Cyclingnews.com]
Slightly more Americans rode bikes in 2024
Cycling activity in the US rose slightly in 2024, with 26.7% of Americans aged six and up riding at least once, according to new data from PeopleForBikes. That’s up from 26.2% in 2023, though the increase came almost entirely from casual riders, or those riding fewer than 50 times a year.
By contrast, the number of ‘core’ cyclists – those riding 50 times or more – dropped slightly. E-bike use continued to climb, especially among teens. In 2024, 20% of riders aged 13–17 reported using an e-bike, double the figure from 2021. More people cited practical reasons for riding. 14% said they cycle to save money, up from 11% in 2021. Riding for fun remains the most common reason, followed by being outside, health, and mental well-being.
The report is based on 18,000 online interviews conducted throughout 2024 with a nationally representative sample of Americans aged six and older.
Giant sales up and profit down in Q1
Giant Group posted a 4.9% or NT$16.85 billion (US$550 million) increase in year-on-year sales revenue, driven by OEM orders. At the same time, the company’s net profit was down 29% for the first three months.
The results follow a difficult 2024, when Giant’s profits fell more than 60% due to heavy discounting and inventory losses. Giant expects a stronger second half of 2025 as demand in the US and Europe improves – its early Q2 figures show April revenue also fell 17% year-on-year.
Pogačar teams up with Continental
Tadej Pogačar has signed a long-term global ambassador deal with German tire giant Continental. The Tour de France champion praised the trust he places in his equipment: “Without the right tires, I wouldn’t be the rider I am today," a statement that seems somewhat suspect, but the overall goal of the collaboration is positive: to improve dialogue between drivers and cyclists and promote safer streets for all road users. Continental is already a major backer in pro cycling, sponsoring the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
- Wiggins opens up about cocaine addiction
- Ceratizit will end sponsorship of WorldTour team after 2025
- SRAM offer GX Eagle AXS Transmission Upgrade Kit for Eagle 70 and 90 derailleurs
- Formula Fixed organizers hope to succeed where others have failed in US racing scene
- Winner's Circle: Van Uden surprises bigger favorites to win stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia
Wiggins opens up about cocaine addiction
Ahead of the publication of his autobiography "The Chain," 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins has said in an interview with The Observer that he struggled with a cocaine addiction after retiring from pro racing.
"There were times my son thought I was going to be found dead in the morning," Wiggins said. “I was a functioning addict. People wouldn’t realize. I was high most of the time for many years.”
According to The Observer, the first British Tour winner managed to kick the addiction two years ago.
“I realized I had a huge problem," he said. "I had to stop. I’m lucky to be here. I was a victim of all my own choices, for many years." [The Observer]
Ceratizit will end sponsorship of WorldTour team after 2025
Luxembourg-based corporation Ceratizit, which has been a title sponsor of the Ceratizit-WNT team since 2020, will call time on that arrangement at the end of this season.
According to a press release, the company is "determined to continue its presence at the highest level of women's professional cycling," but what that will look like remains to be seen.
SRAM offer GX Eagle AXS Transmission Upgrade Kit for Eagle 70 and 90 derailleurs
Just a little over a month after SRAM launched Eagle 70 and 90 mechanical Transmission groups, the brand has released an upgrade (or downgrade, depending on your perspective) kit to convert those mechs from cable-actuated to electronic. The kit, which incorporates elements of Eagle 90 and GX AXS Transmission comes with wireless derailleur body, a wireless shifter, battery, charger, and PowerLock quick link.
The conversion process appears straight-forward and something most home mechanics should have little trouble accomplishing on their own: Start by removing the existing threaded cage assembly and mount bolt from Eagle 90/70 and then re-install on the new GX Eagle AXS Transmission derailleur body. The upgrade kit costs US$550. [SRAM]
Formula Fixed organizers hope to succeed where others have failed in US racing scene
Formula Fixed, a new indoor fixed-gear criterium racing series in the United States, will hold its first qualifier events in late 2025 in Pennsylvania and California before a full season in early 2026, organizers have announced. Events are set to feature both short-track and stadium crit races in an indoor format reminiscent of the now-defunct Red Hook Crit.
"This is a format that is broadcast-friendly, spectator-first, and built to create viral moments through a competitive setup that never stands still," co-founder Clare Grady said in a press release. [Formula Fixed]
Winner's Circle: Van Uden surprises bigger favorites to win stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia
Casper van Uden earned Picnic-PostNL some much-needed UCI points with a victory on stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia, outsprinting Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor) in Lecce. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) finished fourth and retained his GC lead.
Over in France, Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) took his first win in nearly two years at the Classique Dunkerque. The 31-year-old German bested Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and Alberto Dainese (Tudor) to take the UCI 1.Pro-rated win.
Monday, May 12, 2025
- Van Aert and Visma 'realistic' about first week of Giro
- Transfer rumors: Benoot to Decathlon, Vermeersch to Red Bull
- De Lie will return to racing at the Rund um Köln
- Nibali misses the days when 'there was room to improvise'
Van Aert and Visma 'realistic' about first week of Giro
After he dropped out of contention on a stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia ultimately decided in a sprint, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) told reporters that the results of his first few days at the race are in line with what could have been expected considering his illness-marred run-up to the Grande Partenza in Albania.
"The first day was better than expected, that was just good," he said on Sunday. "After that it was realistic what happened. It is now just difficult to perform at my usual level."
His team is taking the very same view, seemingly content that Van Aert was at least in contention on the opening stage before quieter performances on stages 2 and 3. Sports director Marc Reef told Cyclingnews that "we have to be realistic with Wout," and said that "there was a scenario possible that on day one, he would not be there, in the TT it would not be working, or even on stage 3 that it would not work."
In any case, Visma's Giro contingent will like their chances at a stage win on Tuesday when Van Aert slots into a support role for Olav Kooij for what should be a big bunch sprint. As Reef said, that combination "will make a big difference." [Cyclingnews]
Transfer rumors: Benoot to Decathlon, Vermeersch to Red Bull
Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease a Bike) are both set to head elsewhere next season, as Het Laatste Nieuws reports.
Vermeersch, a key Classics lieutenant for Mathieu van der Poel who has also been in the top 10 at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix himself, is reportedly likely to sign with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. Benoot, meanwhile, has apparently already agreed to a three-year deal with Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, and his Visma teammate Olav Kooij is reportedly also in talks to join Decathlon as well. [Het Laatste Nieuws]
De Lie will return to racing at the Rund um Köln
Wielerflits reports that Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) will make his first race start since Gent-Wevelgem in March at the upcoming Rund um Köln.
The 23-year-old Belgian had been expected to lead Lotto throughout the Classics but those plans were scrapped when doubts about his form arose. [Wielerflits]
Nibali misses the days when 'there was room to improvise'
In an interview with Marca, four-time Grand Tour winner and three-time Monument winner Vincenzo Nibali rued the number-focused mindset that prevails in the peloton today.
"Now it's all about watts and data. Before, there was more race reading. Pogacar attacks at 100 kilometers and that's impressive, but in my time, intelligence on the bike was also highly valued," Nibali said. "I'm not saying it's better or worse, it's different. I liked strategy more, playing with rivals. There was room to improvise. Today, everything is measured." [Marca]
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