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Not even two weeks after the men's Cofidis team was hit by a brazen theft at the Tour de France that saw 11 team bikes stolen from a mechanic's truck, the same crime befell the team's women's squad Wednesday at the Baloise Ladies Tour.
Cofidis said "several bikes" were stolen before the start of the race. Because the race started with a prologue time trial, riders were still able to take part, and spare bikes were available for Thursday's first road stage. The bikes stolen from the men's team were recovered shortly after the theft, but it remains to be seen if the women's bikes can also be found.
U23 rider Samuele Privitera dies after race crash
Italian cyclist Samuele Privitera tragically died after a crash Wednesday in the opening stage of the U23 Giro della Valle d'Aosta. The full circumstances of the crash were unclear but the Italian Cycling Federation said that it appeared Privitera lost control after hitting a speed bump on a descent with 32 km to go. He was taken to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
The 19-year-old from Istria was in his second season racing for U23 team Hagens Berman-Jayco. Stage 2 of the Giro della Valle d'Aosta was cancelled, and numerous riders paid respects, including Tadej Pogačar after winning Thursday's 12th stage of the Tour de France. Pogačar pointed to the sky after crossing the line and said afterward that he'd been thinking of Privitera during the final kilometers of the race. Escape Collective offers its sympathies and condolences to Privitera's family, friends, team, and all who knew him.
Revel is offering its titanium bike models again
Earlier this year, we reportedRevel Bikes was back under the ownership of its founder, Adam Miller. After Miller sold to Next Sparc Growth Partners, a private equity firm, in 2021, he purchased the business back in May of this year. At the time of its relaunch under Miller's leadership, Revel pivoted to a direct-to-consumer sales model featuring a limited catalog of its flagship carbon fiber bike models.
Now, it appears Revel is ramping back up and has listed its full lineup of titanium bikes for sale again, which complements its range of carbon frame offerings. This includes the R+ gravel bike, and El Jefe, Wayward (29+), Tirade, and Big Iron (fat) hardtails. Frame-only pricing starts at US$2,500, and multiple complete build kits range from US$4,500 to $10,100+. While orders can be placed now, Revel's website indicates that shipping will occur in October.
Tolhoek handed a four-year ban for doping positive
The UCI announced on Wednesday that Antwan Tolhoek has been given a four-year ban after testing positive for an anabolic androgenic steroid in 2023. Tolhoek had been in the final few weeks of a contract with Lidl-Trek at the time of the positive test, and went on to sign with Portuguese Continental team Sabgal Anicolor before he was provisionally suspended.
Now, he has been handed a ban backdated to February of 2024, and will thus be ineligible to race until February of 2028.
YT Industries enters restructuring
German consumer-direct mountain bike brand YT Industries has announced it will start a restructuring process as it seeks new investors.
In a YouTube video released Wednesday, founder Markus Flossman said the brand had been hit by the "whiplash" affecting much of the bike industry after COVID-19, with supply problems and unstable demand in the US contributing to its financial troubles. Flossman, who had stepped down as CEO, returned to lead the company through the downturn a year ago.
Following his return, YT tried to clear old inventory and invest in new products to get the company back on its feet, but eventually failed to secure enough funding. As a result, the company has now entered a voluntary restructuring process, which the CEO said will allow it to reorganise its finances and attract new investment.
Flossman said the brand is already in talks with new partners, and noted that the process is a "new chapter" and doesn't affect the day-to-day operations or customers. Nearly half of YT’s revenue comes from North America, where it operates a US HQ in California and a demo centre in Arkansas.
Pogačar crashes late on stage 11 but loses no time
Presumptive Tour de France favorite Tadej Pogačar had a brief moment of panic on stage 11 when he crashed heavily just outside the 3 km to go marker. Frenetic late-race attacks saw the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader in a select group with yellow jersey Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) as well as other GC riders when an Uno-X Mobility rider unwittingly crossed in front of him and overlapped wheels.
The world champion fell heavily on his left side but was back on his bike quickly. Ahead, Healy's EF team, along with the Visma-Lease a Bike squad of Jonas Vingegaard, made the quick call to pause the chase and wait. Pogačar, aided by teammates Adam Yates and Jhonatan Narváez, quickly rejoined. Pogačar looked to have no serious injuries but will likely be examined post-stage.
2028 Olympics will clash with Tour de France
Organizers of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, scheduled to be held July 14-30, have released event schedules, and the dates for the time trials and road races will almost certainly cause conflicts for both the men's and women's Tour de France unless they're changed.
The men's and women's time trials are set to take place July 19, with the road races on July 22 for the women and July 23 for the men. The dates themselves will force the men's Tour to change from its usual spot, while the women's Tour will also see a shift. In addition to the date conflict itself, another issue is travel: Los Angeles is on Pacific Daylight Time in summer, putting it nine time zones away from Central European Time, and flights from Paris to Los Angeles are nearly 12 hours long. Riders will need time both to make the trip and recover from the effects of the long flight.
Tour director Christian Prudhomme was less than thrilled with the news, telling Wielerflits, "What date will the Tour have in 2028? That's not up to us. The UCI decides that. We'll see. Whether the Tour will fall before or after the Olympic Games? I have no idea."
Kate Courtney and Strava award She Sends Foundation grants
Former world mountain bike champion Kate Courtney and Strava announced the first round of recipients of the She Sends Foundation grant program this week, intended to help aspiring female athletes make the jump from junior ranks to elite competition. Strava contributed the funds, totaling $40,000, as part of its Strive for More program. The grants are administered by She Sends, which Courtney founded this year.
Five rising racers: mountain bikers Bailey Cioppa and Makena Kellerman, cyclocross racer Elsa Westenfelder, and gravel racers Alexandra Charles and Terese Martens will each receive $5,000, intended to help with costs like travel, equipment, and expert coaching. Charles and Martens are part of the Life Time Grand Prix's U23 program.
A further $15,000 is available through the second round. Applications open October 1 and more information can be found on the She Sends web site. [She Sends Foundation]
POC releases sub-200 gram Cytal Lite
Protection brand POC released its newest ultralight road helmet, the Cytal Lite. Based on the existing Cytal, the new helmet is focused on airflow and minimal weight, targeting cyclists who ride in hot conditions. POC claims that in its EN 1078-approved form, the helmet weighs less than 200 grams (US CPSC helmets will likely be slightly heavier).
Downsides? While POC mentions the shared design language with the Cytal, which gets a five star rating in Virginia Tech's helmet test protocol, the Cytal Lite has no MIPS Air Node or other system for managing rotational impacts. It's also expensive, with a retail price of US$400 / €350 / £320 / AU$550. The helmet is available immediately.
Lightweight releases Meilenstein ART wheels, but they come at a price
Lightweight has launched what it is calling its most advanced wheelset to date, the Meilenstein ART, marking a new era in the brand's carbon wheel engineering. The new wheels are a result of over four years of work and feature a completely overhauled rim architecture. This is centred around Alpha Rib Technology (ART) — a patented internal rib structure that enables a wider, more aerodynamic profile while increasing stiffness and reducing weight.
The wheelset is claimed to weigh 1,190 grams per set +/-3%, with 45mm rim depth and 22.9mm internal width, optimised for 28mm+ tubeless tyres.
Refined through CFD, wind tunnel testing, and guided by Lightweight’s Aero-Mass Index, the ART is claimed to combine aerodynamic efficiency, crosswind stability, and low weight. Hubs feature Lightweight’s proprietary Penta-Fly system paired with DT Swiss EXP 180 internals, available with steel or CeramicSpeed bearings.
Available in Standard (silver decals) and Schwarz ED (black decals) editions, the Meilenstein ART will set you back €6,550 (Standard) or €6,990 (Schwarz ED).
11 complete teams remain in the Tour de France
As the 2025 Tour de France arrives to its first rest day – a day delayed from normal Tours due to Bastille Day falling on a Monday – the attrition of a hard and fast opening 10 stages is starting to hit the peloton. Just 11 of 23 teams have all eight of their riders still in the race, but no team has had more than one rider drop out so far. Here's the list of dropouts so far by stage (DNF: did not finish; DNS: did not start):
Stage 1: Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) DNF, Stefan Bisseger (Decathlon-AG2R la Mondiale) DNF Stage 2: N/A Stage 3: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) DNF Stage 4: N/A Stage 5: Emilien Jeanniere (TotalEnergies) DNS; Jasper De Buyst (Lotto) DNS Stage 6: N/A Stage 7: Mattia Cattaneo (Soudal-Quick Step) DNF; Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) DNF Stage 8: Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla) DNS Stage 9: João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) DNF Stage 10: Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) DNS, Georg Zimmerman (Intermarché-Wanty) DNS; Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) DNF
The 11 complete teams:
Visma-Lease a Bike
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
Lidl-Trek
Groupama-FDJ
Tudor
Arkéa-B&B Hotels
Movistar
Cofidis
XDS-Astana
Picnic-PostNL
Israel-Premier Tech
Merckx hospitalized but 'doing well'
Eddy Merckx is in the hospital and will remain there for some time as he deals with hip issues, and complications that have arisen from those issues, in the wake of his bicycle crash in December of 2024. Merckx underwent surgery to replace a prothesis on Friday and is now recovering while also dealing with a skin infection.
"It's a painful situation," fellow cycling legend Roger De Vlaeminck told Het Laatste Nieuws. "Eddy told me he's doing well. That's reassuring. He can now fully begin his recovery, but he'll have to stay in the hospital for a while, about two weeks." [Het Laatste Nieuws]
Del Toro takes Tour of Austria victory, but Jungels ends UAE stage sweep
The Tour of Austria closed on Sunday with a lumpy stage 5 that went the way of the breakaway. There were no threats to the overall in the move, though, and race leader Isaac Del Toro finished safe in the group to seal his first GC win of the season ahead of Ef Education-Easypost's Archie Ryan and UAE teammate Rafał Majka.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG had dominated the entire race from the start when home hero Felix Großschartner opened the team's account. Del Toro then took over the spotlight with a hattrick of stage wins that saw him take over the race lead on Saturday's Queen Stage.
The team failed to sweep all five stages, however, as Bob Jungels (Ineos Grenadiers) snuck away from his breakaway companions to take an emotional stage 5 win after 40 km solo. It's the Luxembourger's first victory on the road since his Tour de France stage win in 2022.
DT Swiss issues Stop Ride notice on certain ERC/CRC/HEC wheels
Following a few reported failures of “spontaneous delamination”, DT Swiss has issued a stop ride notice on the ERC, CRC, and HEC wheels with rim depths of 35 and 45 mm.
The notice exclusively applies to products manufactured and delivered from September 1, 2024 and onwards. Wheels with DT Swiss’ ID serial numbers 2,750,000 or higher are affected.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and in the interest of consumer safety, we are asking all customers to stop using the affected products and all distributors, manufacturers, and retailers to remove the affected products from commerce immediately. This Stop-Use Notice remains in effect until the cause has been fully clarified,” states the notice. More info at DT Swiss.
Astana takes a raft of UCI points at Tour of Qinghai, as Mulubrhan wins overall
XDS-Astana's fears of relegation have largely been allayed by this point, but the team is still intent on padding its tally by sending high-ranking riders to smaller events, most recently at the 2.Pro-ranked Tour of Magnificent Qinghai.
The Chinese stage race was won overall by African continental champion Henok Mulubrhan, the first to do so twice in 24 editions of the event. With teammate Harold Martín López finishing third and Aaron Gate netting a handful of top-five results on top of Mulubrhan's own stage win, XDS-Astana took in excess of 400 UCI points home from China, which will only help their ranking.
If they keep pursuing the same tactics, their position – currently 17th; the top 18 teams will earn WorldTour ranking – looks more like climbing over Intermarché-Wanty than swapping with Picnic-PostNL at the bottom of the table.
The Vuelta is on Pogačar's calendar, but he's not 100% committed just yet
Tadej Pogačar has confirmed that the Vuelta a España is on his provisional calendar, however, he's not 100% committed to returning to the event he's not raced since making his Grand Tour debut there in 2019.
"La Vuelta is on my calendar and I should be able to go, but I have to consider whether I want to spend another month away from home," Pogačar said after stage 8.
This comment comes a day after UAE team boss Mauro Gianetti told Marca that "the decision will be made when we finish," the Tour de France being the team's focus for now. If Pogačar were to attend the Vuelta, it would be the first time he's faced off against Jonas Vingegaard at a Grand Tour twice in one season, the Dane having already marked the Vuelta as a key goal for 2025. [Marca]
Del Toro wins third stage in a row and takes over Tour of Austria lead – from his teammate
While Tadej Pogačar embarks on another rampage in France, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have not let up their domination elsewhere. The squad has completely dominated the Tour of Austria so far, and no one more than Giro d'Italia nearly-man Isaac Del Toro, whose stage 4 triumph was his third in a row.
The 21-year-old Mexican's victory on the Cat.1 Kühtai, the second step of a two-climb double-header starting with the HC Ötztal Sattele, also means Del Toro finally took over the race lead from teammate Felix Großschartner who got the UAE clean sweep underway on stage 1.
With one stage remaining, Del Toro leads the Tour of Austria by 29 seconds over Archie Ryan (EF Education-EasyPost), the only non-UAE rider on the GC podium that they'd dominated from the start.
Visma-Lease a Bike's Marianne Vos did not start stage 7 of the Giro d'Italia Women, after a few days of not "feeling her best".
The three-time Giro champion was focused on stages at the 2025 race, and came closest on Thursday's stage 5 into Monselice, won convincingly by Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime). Vos will now focus her attention on recovery before preparing for a return to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which starts in two weeks' time.
Pioneering cycling journalist Sam Abt has died
For cycling fans of a certain age, following the Tour de France daily used to start (and end) with a short bulletin in a newspaper with a familiar byline: Samuel Abt.
Abt, an American who covered cycling for over three decades for the New York Times and its sister publication the International Herald Tribune, passed away this week at the age of 90. With his bald head, owlish glasses and gravelly voice, Abt cut a distinctive figure at the Tour, which he would cover each year on break from his usual IHT role as features and then deputy editor. His dispatches for the Tour began in the 1970s and were among the first mainstream American media coverage of the race.
Abt was born in 1934 and was graduated from Brown University before going on to a long career in journalism. Prior to working for the IHT, he helped edit the NY Times' reporting on the Pentagon Papers. But he's best known for his work covering the Tour. Longtime friend and colleague James Startt called Abt the "senior statesman" of Anglophone cycling journalism, and he gave American fans in particular a front-row seat chronicling the rise of Greg LeMond, Andy Hampsten and other pioneering American cyclists of the 1980s, as well as the career of Lance Armstrong. In addition to his Tour coverage, he was the author of 10 books on cycling, including the foundational In High Gear. After retirement, Abt lived in Paris until his death. Escape Collective extends its sympathies and best wishes to his family and dear friends.
Stage 7 crash hits Bahrain and UAE hard as Haig DNFs, Almeida banged up
A late-stage crash in the lead group during the run-in to the final ascent of Mur-de-Bretagne has cost the Bahrain Victorious team dearly. Jack Haig and team leader Santiago Buitrago both fell heavily in a chain-reaction crash that took down approximately 10 riders at the back of the peloton of 40-odd riders.
Haig abandoned, and Buitrago was unsteady as he was helped to his feet. He finished nearly 13 minutes down and is all but out of the general classification. Also among the fallers was key UAE Team Emirates-XRG lieutenant João Almeida. The Portuguese all-rounder finished fourth in last year's Tour and is set to play a key role for defending Tour champ Tadej Pogačar.
After the stage, UAE's team doctor Adriano Rotunno said that Almeida had "an uncomplicated left-sided rib fracture, as well as some profound abrasions to his body," but was clear for concussion symptoms. "The next few days will be difficult for him, but at this point, he should be able to start tomorrow's stage."
Lotte Kopecky is out of the Giro d'Italia Women
SD Worx-Protime said last week it was targeting stage wins at the Giro d'Italia Women. They've gotten two already via star sprinter Lorena Wiebes, but any more will have to happen without one of the team's best riders, as Lotte Kopecky withdrew from the race after stage 5.
The world champion has been suffering from back pain, which saw her finish well back on stage 4's summit finish. At the time, team manager Danny Stam said that if the pain didn't worsen there was no reason for her to abandon. But even after helping pilot Wiebes to the win on stage 5 – and finishing 4th herself – the team opted to pull her from the race. Although she reportedly experienced pain only on climbs, all three remaining days in the race are hilly, and Saturday's stage 7 is a major summit finish.
"As a precaution, ahead of the Tour de France Femmes, she is leaving the Giro d'Italia Women to take three to four days of complete rest," the team said in announcing the move. The statement added that medical staff believe that should be sufficient rest to let her resume training for the Tour, which is her primary target this season.
CIE launches survey to assess gender diversity in cycling industry
Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) has launched a new sector-wide survey aimed at evaluating gender diversity within the cycling industry and identifying barriers to inclusion and career progression for women.
The research is led by the trade organisation's Women in Cycling Expert Group and looks to address a lack of data around employee demographics. In a statement, CIE said it hoped the findings could help support efforts to create a more inclusive and balanced industry.
The new survey follows a 2023 report co-published with the UK’s Bicycle Association (not available online anymore, but covered here by Zag), which found that senior leadership in the industry was "overwhelmingly white, heterosexual men," while many women and minority groups also reported unfair treatment which led some to leave the sector altogether.
The survey is open to all employees in the cycling sector and runs until 31 July 2025.
Greg LeMond awarded Congressional Gold Medal
It's been over 30 years since Greg LeMond last raced a bike, but he picked up another piece of hardware this week when he was officially awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. The award, bestowed by the US House of Representatives, seeks to honor "national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions" to the nation. It's been awarded to 10 athletes in history; LeMond, winner of three Tours de France and the only American to ever officially win the race, is the first cyclist to receive the honor.
Marlen Reusser issued yellow card for intimidation after Giro stage 5
Marlen Reusser, who leads the Giro d'Italia Women with three stages remaining, was issued a yellow card, docked 30 UCI points and slapped with a 750 CHF fine on Thursday following the fifth stage of the race. The reasoning for the reprimand was intimidation and insults against another rider and behavior that put someone else in danger. Specifically, Reusser reportedly had an altercation in the sprint with Katia Ragusa of Human Powered Health.
Vauquelin reportedly close to signing with Ineos
Kévin Vauquelin, who is currently sitting third overall at the Tour de France amid a breakthrough 2025 campaign, is reportedly close to signing a deal with the Ineos Grenadiers. The 24-year-old Frenchman turned pro with Arkéa-Samsic back in 2022 and has been with the team ever since, but the French squad is uncertain to continue into 2026 as its sponsors have decided to end their commitment after this season.
Ciro Scognamiglio of La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote on X on Wednesday that "according to our sources this deal can be considered almost done." [X]
Tom Pidcock will race his first World Cup XC this weekend
Tom Pidcock has been busy racing on the road so far in 2025, but with his Q36.5 team not part of the Tour de France, the reigning Olympic mountain bike champion plans to fill his downtime with some flat-bar racing.
Pidcock will ride his first mountain bike World Cup this weekend at Pal Arinsal, Andorra. It will mark the third time he's raced as an elite on the course, after finishing third at last year's World Championships and third in the World Cup round in 2023. Pidcock hasn't announced any further mountain bike plans but the next round of the World Cup, in Haute Savoie, coincides with the Vuelta a España, where Pidcock is expected to race his second Grand Tour of the year.
Police shoot suspect armed with a knife near TdF finish in Rouen
French police shot and wounded a suspect armed with a knife near the finish of stage 4 in Rouen after he reportedly threatened spectators. The incident happened about two hours before the finish. As police pursued the suspect, he allegedly attempted to stab one of them, but was foiled by the officer's body armor. Police fired on him in response and he was arrested shortly thereafter. It's unclear, other than proximity to the finish, if the incident had anything to do with the race, but Le Parisien reported the suspect had been listed as wanted since fleeing a hospital in recent weeks. [Le Parisien]
Race Face launches Era SL 1530 g MTB wheelset
The new Era SL wheelset from Canadian brand Race Face adds to the growing category of bikes and components that combine XC weight with durability and compliance for "trail" riding. Designed for short travel bikes – from 120 to 140 mm of suspension – Era SL wheels are reportedly "compliant enough to smooth out rough terrain, and light enough to race." At 1530 g per wheelset, Race Face claims the Era SL to be its lightest rim yet, featuring "8.6% more lateral compliance than our enduro-rated Era wheels."
Era SL rims are 22 mm deep with 29 mm internal width that can accommodate up to a 29 x 2.6" tire. Complete wheelsets come laced to the brand's mainstay Vault hubs via 28 straight-pull spokes. Era SL wheelset pricing is US$1,650 / CA$2,198 / EU€1,748.
XDS commits to Astana sponsorship until 2028
Chinese bike manufacturer XDS will continue its naming rights sponsorship of the XDS Astana team until 2028, a team press release has announced.
XDS entered the pro peloton at the start of the season as a largely unknown quality – one of the biggest bike manufacturers in the world, but with most of its output for other brands. In the XDS Astana team, there was opportunity to provide exposure for the company's top-tier X-Lab brand of bikes – and despite question marks over the team's ability to avoid relegation, this season has provided a bounty of success, both in major races and by targeting points in less hotly-contested events. The team has 21 wins and 42 podiums in 2025, making it the fourth most successful squad of the season to date.
"The first half of the season has shown the team's high level and the success of our partnership," said Tan Yancong, XDS's CEO. "We are pleased with the results and are happy to announce our continued support for the next three years. The team has ambitious goals, and we are confident we will achieve them together.”
The sponsorship was initially touted as a long-term commitment of 5-10 years, so it's not entirely clear whether this is merely a re-articulation of the commitment or the arrival of new terms – but either way, it underlines XDS Astana's improbable escape from UCI points purgatory.
Van Rysel introduces new ultra-endurance bike with dynamo hub
Van Rysel has launched a new endurance road bike, the EDR CF Ultra, aimed at ultra-distance riding. The French brand says the carbon frame weighs 830 g (size M), and has 38mm tyre clearance, mudguard mounts, and more relaxed geometry with taller stack and shorter reach than the brand’s race-focused RCR model.
The range consists of three models, a Shimano 105 Di2 build is priced €3,500 / £4,000, Shimano Ultegra Di2 at €4,900 /£5,000 and a limited LTD Force AXS model with a dynamo hub and internal USB charging goes for €5,100 / £5,500.[vanryselcycling.com]
