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Leogang XCC World Cup: Blevins and Pieterse dominate short track
Christopher Blevins remains unbeaten in the XCC format this year, taking his fourth consecutive Short Track World Cup win in Leogang. The American powered up the final climb and surged ahead of teammate Martin Vidaurre Kossmann to secure the victory.
Charlie Aldridge put in a consistent and strong performance to round out the podium. Swiss riders Lars Forster and Filippo Colombo also showed great form, finishing 4th and 5th, respectively.
Puck Pieterse was unrivalled on the challenging course, riding a solo effort to the finish and crossing the line with a dominant 16-second lead. The Dutch star surged to the front at the midpoint and never looked back.
Samara Maxwell continued her incredible 2025 campaign with another strong 2nd place, while Switzerland’s Nicole Koller claimed 3rd, finishing 21 seconds back from the leader. Laura Stigger and Alessandra Keller completed the top five.
Top 5 Men’s XCC – Leogang
Christopher Blevins (USA) – 23:00
Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (CHI) – +0:01
Charlie Aldridge (GBR) – +0:01
Lars Forster (SUI) – +0:11
Filippo Colombo (SUI) – +0:35
Top 5 Women’s XCC – Leogang
Puck Pieterse (NED) – 20:38
Samara Maxwell (NZL) – +0:16
Nicole Koller (SUI) – +0:21
Laura Stigger (AUT) – +0:21
Alessandra Keller (SUI) – +0:23
Pogačar says that 'the legs are there' ahead of the Dauphiné
Tadej Pogačar has expressed some confidence in his form ahead of the Critérium du Dauphiné, a key tune-up for the Tour de France but also his first racing appearance since Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April. Pogačar is set to make the start on Sunday backed by a roster similar to the one that UAE Team Emirates-XRG will bring to the Tour.
"We've just come off a really solid block of altitude training with the team and I'm feeling good," Pogačar said. "The legs are there, and the motivation is high. It's been a few years since I’ve been to the Dauphiné and we're excited to be there and racing again after many weeks of training all together. We have a very good ambience in the group, and we’re ready to pin on race numbers and show what we can do."
Chabbey takes stage 1 of the Volta a Catalunya Feminas
FDJ-Suez went one-two on the opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya Feminas as Elise Chabbey soloed out of a three-rider move to take the win and then Demi Vollering bested fellow escapee Ane Santesteban (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi) in the sprint for second.
Chabbey and Vollering are now one-two on GC heading into the second of three stages.
Groenewegen sets Tour of Slovenia record with stage 3 win
Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) has now won more Tour of Slovenia stages than any rider in history, seven, after he won Friday's stage 3.
The 31-year-old Dutchman outsprinted Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) in Ormož. Stage 2 winner Fabio Christen (Q36.5) finished safely in the bunch to retain his overall lead.
Roldan goes solo to win stage 2 of the Tour of Britain Women
Mara Roldan (Picnic-PostNL) attacked inside the final 15 km of stage 2 of the Tour of Britain Women and held on to take the solo victory in Saltburn-on-the-Sea.
The 21-year-old Canadian, in her first year as a WorldTour pro, managed to hold off Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek), who settled for second on the day, while Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) won a reduced sprint for third.
No, Fabio Jakobsen won't ride a Grand Tour in 2025
Fabio Jakobsen raised hopes and more than a few eyebrows late last week when he said racing the 2025 Tour de France wasn't out of the question. The Dutch sprinter on Picnic-PostNL underwent surgery just two months ago to correct iliac artery endofibrosis, a narrowing of a major artery that can cause pain and loss of power. But he told friend and former pro Niki Terpstra on Terpstra's "Speed on Wheels" podcast that there was a "tiny chance" of a start in Lille on July 5. "It will be very tight; I can't say yes or no. But the chance that I won't go is much greater than the chance that I will," he said.
Terpstra advised against it, and the former Paris-Roubaix winner's caution appears to be shared, as Picnic announced Friday that Jakobsen would not race the Tour and is not in line for the Vuelta a España either. "Fabio had a successful operation and good rehabilitation so far," said team doctor Camiel Aldershof, but the lengthy post-surgery rest period – which is vital for ensuring a rider doesn't stress the repaired vessel and risk a rupture – simply rules out a major race any time soon. "Recently, he’s been able to return to training outside a bit which is great, but still at a lower intensity than is required to build up the base again for a three-week Grand Tour," Aldershof said. John Degenkolb will also miss the Tour, as he's still recovering from major injuries in a crash at the Tour of Flanders and will require a further surgery to remove some metal hardware. [Picnic-PostNL)
Wahoo raises US prices
As reported by DC Rainmaker (and first noticed by GP Lama), Wahoo has raised prices across the board for US customers, likely due to higher tariffs. Worldwide pricing remains unaffected. Price increases in the US vary from modest to significant depending on the product. Its head unit line (Bolt 3, Roam and Ace) sees nominal increases of US$15-$25 – in the low single-digits as a percent of total MSRP. The largest increase by percent among cycling products is the KICKR Rollr, which jumps from $599 to $699. And if you're also a runner, be prepared to lay down an extra two grand on the KICKR Run treadmill, which now sells for a cool $6,999, more than double the price of Peloton's Tread and $1,000 more than the Tread+. [DC Rainmaker]
Specialized recalls certain Globe e-bikes
Specialized Bicycles is recalling more than 11,000 of its Globe Haul ST and LT e-cargo bikes, citing an issue with the telescoping seat post on both models. Specialized and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on June 5. When the lower portion of the two-part telescoping post is fully extended, it can break. Specialized has received 13 reports of injuries.
Not all Globe Haul ST and LT models are affected. Specialized said owners can determine if their bike is subject to recall by removing and inspecting the post: if the lower section of the post has 15 height-adjust markings, it is NOT affected; if it has 13 height-adjust markings, it IS subject to recall. Owners of models subject to recall should stop riding the bikes and contact their local Specialized retailer to arrange a free repair. [Specialized]
Christen wins stage 2 in Slovenia after Oliveira is relegated
Fabio Christen (Q36.5) was awarded the victory on stage 2 of the Tour of Slovenia after the first rider across the line, Rui Oliveira of UAE Team Emirates-XRG), was relegated for swerving on the finishing straight. Anders Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) took second on the day with Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) in third as Oliveira was demoted to sixth place out of the six-rider group that had contested the stage.
Christen now leads the general classification with three stages to go.
Continental rider Mustafa Ayyorkun dies after Tour of Iran crash
Mustafa Ayyorkun of the Spor Toto team has died after crashing at the Tour of Iran. The 21-year-old from Turkey fractured a vertebra in the incident on Saturday's fifth and final stage of the race.
According to Turkish cycling federation president Emin Müftüoğlu, Ayyorkun was being "kept under observation" in the hospital. "His health situation was progressing positively," Müftüoğlu said on Wednesday. "However, the sudden news of his passing last night deeply shocked us all."
Two weeks after his wrist fracture, Van der Poel will race the Dauphiné
Two weeks after he broke his wrist in a crash at the Nove Mesto round of the mountain bike World Cup, Mathieu van der Poel will return to road racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné this weekend, just as he had planned prior to the injury.
Alpecin-Deceuninck announced that Van der Poel "has recovered sufficiently from his wrist injury" to make the start in a social media post revealing the squad's roster for the Dauphiné.
Kim Le Court wins opening stage of Tour of Britain
Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal) returned to the peloton for the first time since winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège and didn't miss a step, taking the opening stage of the Lloyd's Tour of Britain ahead of Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime). The Mauritian rider took advantage of a deceptively hard course through North York Moors National Park, attacking with 38 km to go on a Cat 2 climb. Faulkner was the only rider who could follow the move.
The peloton was too reduced for a concerted chase, although Movistar, FDJ-Suez and Lidl-Trek tried to combine forces to pull the two back. They were able to keep the gap to only 35 seconds, but inside the final 2 km, it was still too large to bring the escapees back. Wiebes sprinted from the remaining peloton to take third on the stage.
Le Court will start the second stage with a five-second advantage over Faulkner and 14 seconds over Wiebes.
Based in Upstate New York, the titanium specialists No .22, has updated all models within its Drifter gravel bike range. The new Drifter X, Drifter, and Drifter Adventure each feature updated geometry and increased tyre clearances.
Built with gravel racing in mind, the Drifter (pictured) is now suspension-corrected and clears up to 56 mm tyres via a new 3D-printed titanium yoke – all while fitting up to a 46T 1x chainring on a road-wide crankset. Fitting a front derailleur will limit tyre clearance to 45 mm.
The Drifter X is No.22’s All-Road offering with geometry closer to the road end of things, has clearance for 42 mm tyres, and fits a standard road crankset. While the Drifter Adventure has clearance for 52 mm tyres and is built for going further, and with more stuff attached. All models feature a UDH rear dropout, and are available in stock or custom geometry.
Meanwhile, No.22’s sibling brand, No. 6 Composities, will have a new suspension-correct rigid fork available soon as a stand-alone item or with the new Drifter. More at 22bicycles.com.
Spoken comes to Sydney in two weeks
Spoken, formerly known as the Handmade Bicycle Show Australia, is on in two weeks. Having been a staple of the Melbourne scene for years, it’s now moving to Sydney.
The show will be held at Carriageworks (Redfern, Sydney) between June 20th and 22nd. Spoken’s director, Nathan Lorkin, has announced that the show has evolved, and while the focus remains on the boutique and custom builders, the event will also include more mainstream premium brands such as Pinarello, Look, and Wilier. The exhibitor list now includes over 75 builders and brands.
Tech editor Dave Rome will be covering the show, and you can see his coverage from last year’s event here. More info at Spoken.cc.
Dave Brailsford looks to be headed back to cycling
Sir Dave Brailsford is stepping back from his day-to-day role at football club Manchester United and is expected to refocus the cycling team he once led to Tour de France dominance, according to a report in The Athletic.
Brailsford, who left his post as team principal of Ineos Grenadiers in early 2024, is now set to play a bigger role in guiding the team back to the top level of professional cycling. TotalEnergies is likely to come on as a co-sponsor and Brailsford is expected to help shape the future leadership, potentially alongside Geraint Thomas, who is likely to step into a management role post-retirement.
Brailsford's return marks a renewed push by Ineos to revive its cycling ambitions after years of subpar results.
Richard Plugge doesn't like the Montmartre TDF finish
Visma-Lease a Bike team boss Richard Plugge has slammed the decision to send the final stage of the Tour de France up Butte Montmartre, calling it unsafe. “You’re sending a tired peloton of 150 riders up a risky climb. That’s not the same as the small group during the Olympic road race,” he told WielerFlits.
Two of Plugge's riders, Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert, are already on the record in opposition to the change.
Plugge argues the traditional sprint finish on the Champs-Élysées is a highlight of the season and fears this new route could discourage sprinters from continuing the race. Riders like Van Aert, Evenepoel, and Vingegaard have also criticized the plan, though Mathieu van der Poel’s team is in favor.
Despite the concerns, Plugge is clear: “It’s part of the course now. So we’ll embrace the chaos.”
Groenewegen, heating up with the Tour looming, wins Slovenia opener
Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) is heating up a month out from the Tour de France. The 31-year-old Dutchman took his first win of the year in a stage of the Tour de Hongrie last month, and on Wednesday, he won the opening stage of the Tour of Slovenia.
Groenewgen out-sprinted Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and Manuel Peñalver (Polti-VisitMalta) in Škofljica. He now leads the Tour of Slovenia heading into stage 2, where the sprinters will try to hold on over a lumpy parcours.
UCI announces details of 2025 Esports World Championships
The UCI announced preliminary details about the format for the 2025 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, the event's fifth edition and the second live in-person final in Abu Dhabi hosted on the MyWhoosh platform.
A total of 40 riders (20 men, 20 women) will qualify via National Federation selection (70%) and open qualifiers (30%) for the November 15 final at Space 42 Arena. The semi-finals and finals will each consist of three stages: “Sprinter’s Paradise” (8 laps of a 1.5 km points-based sprint circuit), “Punchers’ Playground” (a hilly 12 km course with sprints and KOMs), and “Last Rider Standing!” (an elimination race with multiple checkpoints on a 7.2 km climb). Cumulative points across all stages will determine the 2025 rainbow jersey winners.
Vingegaard returns at Dauphiné, chasing a new high to beat Pogačar
Jonas Vingegaard is back. The Visma-Lease a Bike leader will race for the first time since March at the Critérium du Dauphiné this weekend, and he says he feels “like a completely different person” compared to last season. After a concussion sidelined him for nearly three months, the two-time Tour winner has rebuilt steadily and now sets his sights on reclaiming yellow from Tadej Pogačar.
“Last year, I still believed I could win, but this year feels totally different—my body reacts better to training, and I’m just stronger,” he told Eurosport from his Sierra Nevada altitude camp. His team believes he’s taken another step, but Vingegaard knows that to beat this version of Pogačar, he’ll need to surpass even his 2022 and 2023 levels.
“Everybody is raising their level, so I also need to be better than I was two years ago,” he said. It’s a clear-eyed assessment from the man who lost last year’s Tour by more than six minutes—and a nod to the mountain of work still ahead. But Vingegaard insists he enjoys the process: “I always enjoy doing the hard work for the Tour.”
The Dauphiné marks the first time he’ll line up against both Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel in 2025. “If I were racing without Tadej, it wouldn’t be the same,” he said. “Hopefully, he feels the same.” With Hautacam and Col de la Loze back on the Tour route in July, the rematch is set.
Final season of Unchained to drop just before Tour de France
Netflix’s Tour de France: Unchained is coming to an end—its third and final season will release on July 2, just three days before the Grand Départ in Lille. The new trailer puts the spotlight on 2024 champion Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates, along with key storylines like Cavendish’s 35th stage win, Girmay’s breakthrough, and the race’s usual dose of drama and crashes.
The decision to cancel the docuseries after three seasons was confirmed earlier this year, reportedly due to high production costs and underwhelming viewership in France. Originally launched in 2022 to bring pro cycling to a broader audience, Unchained followed the playbook of Drive to Survive, delivering behind-the-scenes access to some of the sport’s biggest moments.
For those wondering, yes, we still plan to produce the Unchained Binge podcasts, just as we did for the last two seasons. Given the proximity to the TDF start, exactly when we'll make them is not yet sorted out. For now, just subscribe to that podcast channel and you'll get them when they're released.
Read more about the conclusion of the series from Jonny Long here.
Evenepoel back in action, but not chasing Dauphiné victory
Remco Evenepoel is easing back into racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné after a high-altitude training block in the Sierra Nevada. The Olympic champ isn’t eyeing the overall win this time, with Tour de France prep taking priority. “I’m mainly here to check my form,” he told Sporza. “Of course, I’d love to go for some strong results, especially in the time trial, but we’ll take it stage by stage.”
Team manager Tom Steels is also managing expectations. “The time trial will give us some insight, though the gaps probably won’t be huge. The real test comes in the final mountain stages,” he said. “Remco has a strong, balanced team around him, and we’re going to do our best—but fighting for the GC isn’t the plan.”
Van Aert breaks (his own) records with Colle delle Finestre climb
Wout van Aert’s performance in the penultimate stage of the 2025 Giro d’Italia wasn’t just race-altering. Powering up the brutal Colle delle Finestre (18.5 km at 9.2%), the Belgian star from Visma-Lease a Bike produced his highest-ever one-hour power output (at least that he's uploaded publicly): 428 watts. His effort helped teammate Simon Yates secure overall victory by setting up a decisive attack.
Van Aert crested the climb ahead of Yates and then led him for nearly 16 kilometers through the descent and flatter run-in to the final climb to Sestrière. According to his Strava data, Van Aert even claimed three KOMs along the route, including a standout time on the 13.6 km stretch between Balboutet and Pragelato.
By the time Yates linked up with Van Aert, he was 1:45 ahead of rivals Isaac Del Toro and Richard Carapaz. That gap ballooned to nearly five minutes thanks to Van Aert’s pulling, though it’s worth noting that Del Toro and Carapaz were focused more on each other than on organizing a chase.
Gerry Ryan sheds light on Jayco's parting of ways with Matt White
Gerry Ryan, who owns the Jayco-AlUla and Liv-AlUla-Jayco teams under the GreenEdge umbrella, has shed some light on the decision to part ways with now-former Director of High Performance and Racing Matt White, who had long been a key part of team leadership.
"Matt White left a mark on the team but if you keep doing the same thing, you get the same result," Ryan told Cyclingnews.
Roughly halfway through the season, the men's Jayco team sits near the bottom of the UCI rankings for WorldTour outfits, while the women's squad has yet to secure a win on the year.
"We're doing a restructure," Ryan said. "We sat down with Matt and saw where he wanted to be. Out of it came a decision by mutual agreement to move on." [Cyclingnews]
Pro Cycling Council meeting could determine One Cycling's near-term fate
The UCI Professional Cycling Council (PCC) meets this Wednesday in a pivotal session that could determine the future of the ambitious One Cycling project. With $250 million in expected Saudi investment and plans to revamp the WorldTour through a new global race series, project leaders are set to make a key presentation to the PCC, hoping to gain approval—or at least momentum—for a 2026 launch.
The 18-member PCC, representing stakeholders across pro cycling, will vote on race licenses (and thus the race calendar) for 2026–2028, a decision that could either open the door to One Cycling’s proposed new events or shut them out entirely. The UCI has made clear that all new races must fit into the current calendar structure, with strategic, sporting, and regulatory criteria fully met—something One Cycling has yet to publicly demonstrate in detail.
Growing frustration around the project’s lack of transparency may weigh heavily on the PCC’s decision. UCI President David Lappartient emphasized again in an interview with Marca last week that reform must happen within the UCI framework and not benefit a “breakaway league.” The final say will come from the UCI Management Committee, which convenes June 10–11 in France, but this week’s council vote will be a defining early test.
GP Québec tweaks course for 2025
The organizers of the Grand Prix de Québec announced a new, shorter circuit for 2025 with slightly less elevation gain per lap than previous editions. The revamped course retains its urban flavor and remains centered on the historic Plains of Abraham park, but cuts out the Côte des Glacis climb that took the race into the heart of the Old City section. In its place, the new circuit cuts a zig-zag route back to Rue Saint-Louis and onto the Avenue Georges VI to the start-finish line.
That makes the race's primary difficulty the Cóte de la Montaigne, which climbs 62 meters at 9% average, and leads to a draggy 3% pull up the Montée Cóte Saint-Louis to the finish line. Both climbs are situated in the last two kilometers of the circuit. While the new circuit is shorter, at 12 km, riders will do two more laps (18 total) for a distance of 216 km, while total elevation gain climbs incrementally, by around 100 meters total. The race will be held September 12.
Up-and-comer Niedermaier will ride on with Canyon-SRAM through 2028
Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto has announced that Antonia Niedermaier has signed a lengthy extension that will see her stick with the squad through 2028. That will be her seventh year with the organization after she first joined the Canyon-SRAM development team back in 2022. The 22-year-old German, who has won the under-23 time trial title in the past two world championships and took a stage at her debut Giro Donne in 2023, is one of the most promising youngsters in the women's peloton.
"In my opinion, she’s one of the future GC contenders – strong on long climbs, combined with an excellent TT ability," said team manager Ronny Lauke in a statement. "She’s still very young but brings a strong mindset."
Aussie champ Lucie Stewart sidelined with pelvis fractures
Australian road race champion Lucinda Stewart (Liv AlUla Jayco Continental) is facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines after fracturing her pelvis in a crash last week.
The 20-year-old, who took a surprise win at Aussie Road Nationals in Perth earlier this year, revealed on Instagram on Sunday that a fall last Tuesday left her unable to walk. She flew home from Girona to Melbourne where scans revealed three pelvis fractures. "Will be a long road ahead with rehab and recovery but I have the best support crew around me and will be back firing for the 2nd half of the season," she wrote.
Brennan never finishes outside top two on his way to Tour of Norway title
Revelation of the season, Matthew Brennan, took his second stage win of the four-day Tour of Norway on Sunday to seal the overall victory.
Still a teenager for another two months, Brennan never finished lower than second all race, winning the sprint behind lone survivor Storm Ingebrigtsen (Coop-Repsol) on stage 1, then taking the lead with victory the following day. Maxim van Gils then got the better of him on stage 3, but Brennan was back on top in the Stavanger finale, edging out veteran Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X) who is almost twice the winner’s age.
Brennan can’t seem to stop winning in his first pro season with Visma-Lease a Bike, which started with a handful of small French races in March, giving way then to WorldTour wins at the Volta a Catalunya and Tour de Romandie. Including the times he’s raised his arms with the Development squad, he’s brought his tally to 10 so far in 2025.
Mauro Vegni bows out on a high from his tenure as Giro director
Giro d’Italia director Mauro Vegni is set to bow out on a high after the 2025 edition this Sunday. The 66-year-old Italian took over from Michele Acquarone in 2014, and has developed a passionate, ebullient reputation as the organiser of the Italian Grand Tour.
News of his retirement hasn’t been widely reported, and it’s unknown if he’ll be stepping down from his role across RCS Sport, but he teased on TV coverage earlier this week that this would be his last Giro as director.
Mnstry announces a new Bicarb and carbohydrate gel
German brand Mnstry Nutrition has released what it claims is the first gel-based supplement combining bicarbonate with carbohydrates for in-race use. The new Bicarb Gel 40 Lemon 1:0.8 is designed to allow athletes to maintain elevated bicarbonate levels during prolonged or high-intensity efforts, something it says was previously limited to pre-race loading strategies. The company says the gel uses encapsulation technology to deliver bicarbonate directly to the small intestine, aiming to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort typically associated with sodium bicarbonate use.
Along with five grams of bicarbonate, each gel contains 40 grams of carbohydrate in a 1:0.8 glucose-to-fructose ratio, intended to support sustained energy delivery. The product has been developed with input from professional athletes and is batch-tested by Informed Sport. It is free from artificial sweeteners and animal products.
