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 …
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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