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, April 20, 2025
- British cycling legend Barry Hoban dies aged 85
- Dumoulin opens up about his retirement
- Winner’s circle: Bredewold and Skjelmose deny the favourites at Amstel Gold
British cycling legend Barry Hoban dies aged 85
Yorkshire-born cyclist Barry Hoban has died at the age of 85. He leaves a huge legacy as one of the pioneers of British road racing, alongside teammate and fellow icon Tom Simpson.
Racing in the 1960s and ’70s, Hoban won his first Tour de France stage the day after Simpson’s death on Mont Ventoux in 1967, allowed to finish the stage solo in memory of his friend. He went on to win seven more from 12 Tour starts, as well as two at the Vuelta a España, and he famously beat Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck at Gent-Wevelgem in 1974.
The thoughts of everyone at Escape Collective are with the family and friends of Barry Hoban.
Dumoulin opens up about his retirement
Tom Dumoulin is remembered for a lot of things, including his time trialling prowess, one particular bathroom-related incident at the 2017 Giro d’Italia, and the look on his face as Primož Roglič lost the 2020 Tour de France in a catastrophic stage 20 time trial.
You wouldn’t necessarily expect the Dutchman to speak out against the increasing professionalism of the sport, its preoccupation with marginal gains, focussing on power, nutrition, etc. However, he’s recently spoke of his drained motivation in the latter years of his career, all at the hands of the sport’s increasingly regimented demands.
“I just couldn't do it anymore. I wasn't getting any satisfaction out of it,” Dumoulin told Het Nieuwsblad. “I was just a performer. The dietitian told me what to eat. The trainer told me how to train and where to race. Without asking, how do you feel about that, or how do you feel about it? That's where I got stuck.” [Het Nieuwsblad]
Winner’s circle: Bredewold and Skjelmose deny the favourites at Amstel Gold
The Ardennes Classics began on Sunday with the women’s and men’s editions of the Amstel Gold Race, taking on the rolling and often winding roads of the Limburg region of the Netherlands.
The women’s race split early with a strong group breaking clear, fragmenting into ever-smaller pieces as the last couple of laps wore on until only five remained. Ellen van Dijk and Mischa Bredewold attacked their companions in the last 7 km to get a head start on the final climb up the Cauberg, where Bredewold climbed away from her compatriot to score a landmark victory. Once caught, Van Dijk sprinted to second from the remaining four chasers, with Puck Pieterse taking third from Juliette Labous.
In the men’s race, it looked very much like yet another solo rampage from Tadej Pogačar who left fellow attacker Julian Alaphilippe with 42 km remaining. However, the world champion was eventually caught by a determined Remco Evenepoel and Mattias Skjelmose – the only survivors of Group 2 Syndrome – just a few kilometres from the line. They stayed together on the final ascent of the Cauberg and a heated sprint ensued, in which Skjelmose emerged victorious in a fantastically close finish.
Over in France, the Franche-Comté trilogy finished with the Tour du Doubs, where Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies) took his first pro victory, and at the GP Féminin de Chambéry Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ) took her first win in seven years ahead of recent MTB-to-road convert Mona Mitterwallner (Human Powered Health).
Saturday, April 19, 2025
- UCI plans to put gear restriction to the test this season
- Guillaume Martin doubles up after three-year drought
- Vos signs lifetime contract with Visma
- Thibau Nys set to ‘continue to grow in peace’ with extended Lidl-Trek contract
- Hirschi to lead Tudor Pro Cycling at Giro d’Italia debut
UCI plans to put gear restriction to the test this season
With rider and race safety top of the docket for many stakeholders in cycling, UCI president David Lappartient has revealed that the oft-discussed idea of gear restriction will undergo testing by the end of the season.
Gear restriction is one of the possible measures being explored with the end goal of reducing the speed of the peloton. It’s an idea that has been floated by many, riders included, and was a central topic of the SafeR survey carried out by the UCI early in 2025. That said, Lappartient is still not convinced by this particular option.
“Reducing speed, in general, is a little antithetical to a bike race,” Lappartient told Ouest-France on Friday. “I am personally dubious about this limitation of gears, considering that it can also change the characteristics of the riders, between those who are able to spin more and those who manage to take big gears. A [first] test is planned at the end of the year, in competition.” [Ouest-France]
Our Ronan Mc Laughlin has done a great deal of reporting on the subject of safety here at Escape Collective, which has included proposing and analysing possible safety measures.
Guillaume Martin doubles up after three-year drought
It seems the winter transfer from Cofidis to Groupama-FDJ is paying off for climber-cum-philosopher Guillaume Martin, who 24 hours after winning the Classic Grand Besançon Doubs has won the Tour du Jura.
Curiously, the podium at both 1.1-ranked French one-days comprised the same three riders, albeit slightly shuffled on the lower steps as Saturday’s finish on the Mont Poupet (4.1 km at 8.1%) saw Clément Berthet out-climb José Manuel Díaz, but fall short to Martin as the Frenchmen lunged for the line.
The 31-year-old Breton rider, once touted as France’s next great Tour hope – as is every GC-oriented Frenchman – has made a name for himself as a consistent performer, but Martin’s sights have more often been set on top 10s than personal victories. So, this brace of results marks a happy return to the top step; Marc Madiot will surely be very pleased.
Vos signs lifetime contract with Visma
Founding team member Marianne Vos has committed the remainder of her racing career to Visma-Lease a Bike, with whom she’s raced as a talismanic leader since the launch of its women’s team in 2021. This comes six months after a similar agreement was made with men’s team counterpart Wout van Aert.
“I am grateful for the trust and support I receive here,” Vos said in the team announcement. “Always pushing myself to the limit is still what I love to do the most. And in the coming years, I will do this with great joy in yellow and black. That’s why I’m happy that we are continuing together with a commitment that has no end date.”
The 37-year-old Dutch pro is nearing two whole decades in the pro peloton, throughout which she’s amassed a staggering 255 victories – plus 108 in cyclocross. Based on this announcement, it appears she has yet to set an end date for her glittering and remarkably consistent career. [Visma-Lease a Bike]
Kit Nicholson has more on the story here at Escape Collective.
Thibau Nys set to ‘continue to grow in peace’ with extended Lidl-Trek contract
Speaking in advance of the team’s official announcement, team boss Luca Guercilena confirmed to HLN that Thibau Nys and the team have settled on a long-term agreement to ensure that “Thibau can continue to grow in peace.”
This comes on the heels of a winning start to the season for the 22-year-old Belgian, following on from a sensational 2024 that included nine of 12 career wins (so far) for the punchy multi-hyphenate who raced his first full road season in 2023.
“He has that one special character trait: he is a killer,” Guercilena said. “If you look at his success ratio from last season, you get an impressive percentage. Thibau was at 25 percent. Only Pogacar won more on average. I don't expect 25 percent from Thibau this season as he's riding more races against a stronger field, but he's a star. Thibau is already shining quite a lot, and his light will shine even brighter in the future.” [HLN]
Marc Hirschi to lead Tudor Pro Cycling at Giro d’Italia debut
A little over a month out from the first Grand Tour of the season, Marc Hirschi has confirmed he’ll start the Giro d’Italia as leader of his new team Tudor Pro Cycling, ending a three-year drought for the Swiss stage hunter.
Hirschi has raced the Tour de France three times in his career, drawing the attention of UAE Team Emirates after winning a stage on debut in 2020, but he’s yet to race either of its Italian or Spanish counterparts, and he’s not raced a Grand Tour at all since 2022. Now enjoying pastures new at the Swiss ProTeam run by retired compatriot Fabian Cancellara, the 26-year-old looks forward to a Giro debut where he will target stage wins.
As for Tudor, the team’s own Giro (and Grand Tour) debut occurred last season with Michael Storer performing particularly well to score a GC top 10.
Friday, April 18, 2025
- Van Aert doesn't know what's going on with his sprint
- Lidl-Trek has high hopes for Nys in the Ardennes
- Belgian national coach: 2027 Worlds course looks harder than all but the hardest mountain stages
- Winner's Circle: Longo Borghini bounces back to win at the Brabantse Pijl
Van Aert doesn't know what's going on with his sprint
Just over two weeks after losing a sprint to Neilson Powless (EF Education First-EasyPost) at Dwars door Vlaanderen, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) let another fast finish slip through his fingers at the Brabantse Pijl on Friday as Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) bested him in Overijse.
Van Aert was left to wonder where his vaunted finishing kick has gone.
"I would like to give an answer about why it is wrong, but I don't know what is wrong with my sprint," Van Aert said afterward. "It just doesn't show up in the races this spring. It's not like we did anything different this season."
Van Aert pointed to the accumulated fatigue of trying to hold Evenepoel's wheel in the hilly finale as a contributing factor in his inability to match Evenepoel's speed, saying, "Today, the explanation I can find is that I have had to ride above my limit for a long time." That said, the Van Aert of a few years past was among the best in the world at winning a sprint after a hard day. For the moment, he is still trying to figure out where that speed has gone.
Lidl-Trek has high hopes for Nys in the Ardennes
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) looks like a favorite for all three of the upcoming Ardennes Classics, but Lidl-Trek's Otto Vergaerde is cautiously optimistic that his teammate Thibau Nys can be a contender just the same.
"A good Thibau, as I have seen him in recent weeks, will be able to keep up if Pogačar goes," he told Sporza, though he also acknowledged that "if Pogačar can even crack Van der Poel in the Tour [of Flanders] and the coming races continue in the same way, then it will also be difficult for Thibau." Lidl-Trek and the rest of us will find out soon enough as they will square off on Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race. [Sporza]
Belgian national coach: 2027 Worlds course looks harder than all but the hardest mountain stages
After the UCI revealed earlier this week that the road race at the 2027 World Championships will tackle a course similar to the one that propelled Bernard Hinault to victory in 1980, Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels highlighted the exceptional nature of the challenges that riders will face in Sallanches, France.
As Pauwels told Sporza, "Approaching 6,000 meters of elevation gain, you only see that in very tough mountain stages," and those metrics should make for a climber-friendly battle for the rainbow jersey for a fourth straight year. That may be good news for Evenepoel, but as Pauwels pointed out, it means that the likes of Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier may have to "wait until Abu Dhabi in 2028." [Sporza]
Winner's Circle: Longo Borghini bounces back to win at the Brabantse Pijl
Less than two weeks after crashing and suffering at concussion at the Tour of Flanders, Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) soloed to victory at the Brabantse Pijl. She took her second straight win in the race six seconds ahead of Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) with Femke Gerritse (SD Worx-Protime) in third.
As noted above, Evenepoel pipped Van Aert to win the men's race, with António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) rounding out the podium.
In France, Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ) took his first victory in nearly three years at the Classic Grand Besançon Doubs. The Frenchman surged clear on the final climb to beat José Manuel Díaz (Burgos-Burpellet-BH) and Clément Berthet (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) in what was also his first win for Groupama.
And over in Italy, the Intermarché-Wanty team took its first stage race win of the year as Georg Zimmermann took the overall victory at the Giro d'Abruzzo. David de la Cruz (Q36.5) and Pablo Torres (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) joined him on the GC podium.
Thursday, April 17, 2025
- Specialized to add 10% tariff surcharge on Turbo Levo 4 orders
- Shari Bossuyt will race for AG Insurance-Soudal after her suspension ends
- No fractures for Dillier after collision with Visma mechanic at Roubaix
- Halfords reports rebound in bike sales, appoints new CEO
- Kona launches an all-new version of the Hei Hei XC full suspension
Specialized to add 10% tariff surcharge on Turbo Levo 4 orders
Specialized has announced it will introduce a 10% tariff surcharge on models of the recently launched Turbo Levo 4 e-MTB ordered after May 1, adding the surcharge as a separate line item on B2B invoices.
According to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN), the update was shared with retailers in an email from Specialized’s North America regional leader, Jesse Porter. The company said listing the surcharge separately avoids the need to update pricing or marketing materials, makes pricing more transparent for customers, and allows the charge to be adjusted if tariffs change.
Specialized also told retailers it plans to raise prices across its full range of bikes and equipment starting May 1, with final pricing details to follow. [BRAIN]
Shari Bossuyt will race for AG Insurance-Soudal after her suspension ends
Shari Bossuyt will join AG Insurance-Soudal after her two-year ban following a positive test for Letrozole ends in June. The 24-year-old Belgian tested positive for the substance while racing the Tour de Normandie with Canyon-SRAM. She blamed contamination in French dairy products.
"After careful consideration by the team's performance staff, and several conversations with Shari and her management, the team decided to supporting Shari as she rebuilds her career," AG Insurance team boss Jurgen Foré said. "Shari is determined to show what she's capable of and very hungry to race with the team. We believe that Shari has a great future ahead of her, and that the team can be a perfect environment for her to make this happen."
No fractures for Dillier after collision with Visma mechanic at Roubaix
Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Deceuninck) crashed heavily at Paris-Roubaix when he collided with a Visma-Lease a Bike mechanic that had stepped in front of him while loading a bike onto a team car, but the former Roubaix runner-up said on Thursday that he escaped serious injury.
"It looked really dramatic and there was speculation about potential injuries like a broken hand or finger," Dillier said in a video shared to social media that also showed the scary crash itself. "I am relieved to share that fortunately nothing is broken and I'm feeling well. [Instagram]
Halfords reports rebound in bike sales, appoints new CEO
Halfords has reported a modest recovery in its bike sales after a difficult 2024, when the cycling revenue fell by 30%. In its most recent trading update, the British cycling and motoring retailer said the overall revenue from the cycling segment increased by 1.7% in the past year.
The retailer also announced a change in leadership; after seven years as CEO, Graham Stapleton is stepping down and will be replaced by Henry Birch, former chief executive of the Very Group.
Kona launches an all-new version of the Hei Hei XC full suspension
Now in its tenth generation, the Kona Hei Hei is still the brand's dedicated XC model and its "lightest full suspension" offering. Offered as complete builds with 120 mm of rear travel and 130 mm up front, frames can also accommodate a 120 mm fork for riders wanting a more race-focused machine and include external routing for external rear shock lockout. Geometry is longer and slacker than previous versions with a 66° head angle, 76° seat angle, and 424-509 mm reach (across four sizes).
Suspension kinematics have been updated as well, with a claimed focus on efficient pedaling and high anti-squat. And then there's the nine bottle/accessory mount options within the front triangle across all four sizes. Completes cost US$5,300 with SRAM mechanical suspension and RockShox suspension and framesets are US$2,950. [Kona]
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
- Colnago unveils lighter and more aero V5Rs
- Longo Borghini will return for Brabantse Pijl
- Uijtdebroeks: 'Step by step we are getting back'
- Winner's Circle: Fretin navigates a hectic finale to win the Ronde van Limburg on a teammate's bike
Colnago unveils lighter and more aero V5Rs
Colnago has launched the V5Rs, a full update to its WorldTour race bike ridden by Team Emirates and UAE Team ADQ. The Italian brand says this is the lightest frame it has ever made, weighing 1,027 g for a size 485 frame kit (with hanger). This makes the V5Rs 146 g lighter than the outgoing V4Rs, and Colnago says it’s also 9 watts faster at 50 kph.
The aerodynamic gains come from a narrower head tube, reprofiled seat tube and post, and a slimmer bottom bracket area – now threaded BSA rather than T47.
The geometry has seen some changes with steeper angles and two fork rakes. Tire clearance stays at 32 mm.
The V5Rs will be available in seven builds, two of which are available at launch from €10,000 / US$11,750 / £9,000 to €15,900 / US$14,750, plus a frame option from €5,940 / US$6,250 / £5,500. [Colnago]
Longo Borghini will return for Brabantse Pijl
After a crash and a concussion forced her out of the Tour of Flanders, Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) will return to racing at Friday's Brabantse Pijl.
"Elisa has responded very well to the recovery plan," said UAE team doctor Nele Beeckmans. "We've taken every step in line with the UCI guidelines for concussion management. She is symptom-free, physically ready, and mentally motivated to race again."
Uijtdebroeks: 'Step by step we are getting back'
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) has not raced since pulling out of Tirreno-Adriatico as a recurring issue of leg numbness appeared again, but he has shared some optimism in a social media post. "Problems are there to be solved," he wrote. "Step by step we are getting back."
La Dernière Heure reports that the Belgian has made saddle adjustments to change his positioning as a way to address the numbness.
Winner's Circle: Fretin navigates a hectic finale to win the Ronde van Limburg on a teammate's bike
Milan Fretin (Cofidis) jumped onto a teammate's bike due to a late puncture at the Ronde van Limburg and then navigated a hectic final kilometer – a handful of riders went off course or crashed into the barriers at a curve in the road – to get the win in Tongeren, Belgium.
Simon Dehairs (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took runner-up honors with Milan Menten (Lotto) in third.
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
- Visma is 'not satisfied' with the way the Cobbled Classics went this year
- Evenepoel looks to 'get the race rhythm back' in 2025 debut at Brabantse Pijl
- Kristoff rode the wrong way after hitting his head in a Roubaix crash
- Quick Hits
Visma is 'not satisfied' with the way the Cobbled Classics went this year
As Wielerflits reports, Visma-Lease a Bike head of racing Grischa Niermann admitted that the team wanted more out of this Cobbled Classics campaign. The Dutch squad has failed to take any wins in WorldTour one-day races so far this season.
"We are not satisfied with this," Niermann said. "We went for more this spring. This is the maximum we got out of it. This is just it, but it is not like we are drawing a positive balance now."
Wout van Aert rode to runner-up honors at an especially disappointing Dwars door Vlaanderen, where Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) managed to beat a trio of Visma riders in the finale, and he was just off the podium at both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Two years ago, Visma seemed to have the strongest Classics squad in the peloton, but things have not gone nearly as well for team more recently. Wout van Aert has struggled to get back to the form he showed prior to crashing out of Dwars last year, while Christophe Laporte has dealt with illness across two seasons now.
"At the moment there are a number of men who are simply better than us," Niermann said. "We are going to think about how we are going to do better in the future."
On the bright side, Laporte is returning to training this week after a long layoff. The Frenchman has yet to race in 2025 after closing out the 2024 season with a Paris-Tours win. [Wielerflits]
Evenepoel looks to 'get the race rhythm back' in 2025 debut at Brabantse Pijl
Getting doored by a Belgian postal worker derailed Remco Evenepoel's offseason and left him facing a lengthy recovery, but the Olympic champ is starting his season on Friday at Brabantse Pijl, as Soudal-Quick-Step confirmed on Tuesday.
"I am counting the days until I can race with the guys again for the first time in more than six months," he said in a team press release. "It's been a long time since my previous outing with the team, but I am happy to be so close to my return. I've worked hard all these months, I've been on a solid training camp in Spain, and I feel good and motivated for Brabantse. I'm not going there with any specific goals, as the most important thing will be to get the race rhythm back after all this time."
Kristoff rode the wrong way after hitting his head in a Roubaix crash
Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) has said that he may have suffered a concussion in a crash at this year's Paris-Roubaix.
"I landed on the head in the crash so I had a small headache," he said in a video shared to his team's social media account. "I also started riding the wrong direction in the race so I thought maybe there was a concussion. I was a bit tumbled up and I went against the traffic and suddenly I saw riders coming against me so I said, 'Oh, I need to turn.'"
He quickly left the race after that, ending what may be the final Monument appearance of his career.
Quick Hits
Alessandro De Marchi, a breakaway specialist who won three Vuelta a España stages over the course of his career, has said he will retire at the end of the 2025 season ... Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset finished Paris-Roubaix with a broken hip ... Roubaix espoirs runner-up Jakob Söderqvist will join Lidl-Trek's WorldTour squad next year.
Monday, April 14, 2025
- Man who threw bottle at Van der Poel turns himself in
- Paris-Roubaix Femmes draws nearly two million viewers
- Medical updates from the Hell of the North
Man who threw bottle at Van der Poel turns himself in
The roadside spectator who threw a water bottle at race leader Mathieu van der Poel has reportedly turned himself in to Belgian police, according to several reports in the Belgian media. The incident happened with roughly 33 km left in the race as Van der Poel was in the lead solo after Tadej Pogačar's crash, when a person threw what Van der Poel said was a full bottle, weighing roughly half a kilogram, directly in his face as the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was riding roughly 50 km/h on the Cysoing à Bourghelles cobbles sector.
Both Sporza and VRT reported the suspect turned himself in to police in West Flanders, and VRT added that authorities in Lille, France, have also opened an investigation. No charges have yet been filed, and it's unknown yet whether Van der Poel and his team will also seek legal action after the race winner's promise immediately post-victory to do just that. Nieuwsblad reports the suspect was at the race with a supporters' club of Matej Mohorič, but the club denied he is a member and said he has been banned from any future activities. Nieuwsblad cited an unnamed source as saying the suspect is sorry for his actions.
Paris-Roubaix Femmes draws nearly two million viewers
Audiences for women's racing continue to grow. L'Equipe reported Sunday that viewership for the 2025 Paris-Roubaix Femmes averaged 1.1 million viewers domestically on France 3 (a 13.1% audience share) and peaked at 1.9 million viewers for Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's solo ride into the velodrome. That's a record for the race, which held its first edition in 2021. Total international viewership data was not available. [L'Equipe]
Roubaix medical update
One of the more frightening images from Roubaix was Stefan Küng crossing the line with a bloodied face. The Groupama-FDJ captain, who was in the first chase group until a flat took him out of the action, crashed roughly 15 km from the finish on the Carrefour de l'Arbre sector. A team press release reported he will need stitches but made no mention of a head injury; Küng also suffered a horrific crash at the 2023 Time Trial World Championships, smashing his helmet and finishing bloodied with a head injury.
Küng was far from the only rider to sustain injury over the weekend. Lidl-Trek's Mathias Vacek also crashed and finished with blood on his face, while Davide Ballerini (XDS-Astana) suffered a broken wrist after colliding with a spectator. An errant spectator also spelled the end of the race for Movistar's Cat Ferguson in her debut Paris-Roubaix, as she crashed heavily on the Tilloy à Sars et Rosieres sector after hitting a roadside fan. Fortunately, her team said, she suffered bumps and bruises but no fractures.
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