Spin Cycle is Escape Collective’s news digest, published every Monday and Friday. You can read it on this website (obviously) or have it delivered straight to your inbox. You can sign up here.
Hello!
Welcome back to Spin Cycle! Escape Collective’s news digest.
It turns out you miss quite a bit by going on holiday the week of the Super Worlds. Waking up on the beach following an afternoon nap, flicking on GCN+ and seeing people on bikes trying to flick a football in a goal, fine. Scrolling Twitter to see what’s been going on back home and being accosted with a tabloid front page featuring Mathieu van der Poel and his visits to the toilet: maybe it would be better to stay away forever.
The Worlds seemed manic, and great and very long. Hope you all enjoyed it. We’ll half-promise to never leave again. But if we do, make sure you’re on high alert for a star rider to knock on your door asking if he can do a number two in your loo.
Things we didn’t expect to see at the Super Worlds
First and foremost, Alpecin-Deceuninck bigwig Christoph Roodhooft finally found his smile in Glasgow, which is a relief as if a rainbow jersey can’t bring you joy then we’re not sure what else could.
There was also the small matter of Mathieu van der Poel’s bowel movements making headlines for the Scottish tabloids, and discussed at length on Escape Collective’s Placeholders podcast, equipped even with a photo of the toilet the Dutchman credits for his victory.
It’s a nice World Championships fable to show that if you knock and are invited through peoples’ thresholds instead of say, chasing teenage girls into hotel rooms, you can win gold medals.
Then, we were introduced to France’s Victor Koretzky, who not only had a hissy fit when passed the wrong gel, but also employed a number of hand gestures to show his displeasure with how the UCI made last-minute changes to allow the likes of Tom Pidcock, Van der Poel and Peter Sagan to start ahead of him.
The good news is that as Koretzky returns to road duty with Bora-Hansgrohe at the Vuelta a Burgos, he is still seemingly riding angry after sprinting to fourth on the opening flat finish of the race.
? Favourite new cycling sponsor alert ?
Zoom in to the jersey of Chile’s Manuel Lira and join me in the English-speaking cycling world’s favourite game of ‘oh, that’s a sponsor I actually know!’
This time it’s Papa John’s Pizza. Don’t know how this particular deal came about, and to be honest we neither need nor want to know. Only that, according to Papa John’s approved inscriptions on the jersey they sponsor, they have the best ingredients and the best pizza. A statement like that, however, may need some clarification.
Also, wonder if Mathieu van der Poel asked if he could hook him up with a Hawaiian number, or seeing as they were in Scotland, a deep-fried pizza! (yes, it’s exactly what you think it is).
Speaking of things that are cooked…
A first doping ban for the Death Star
The former British Cycling and Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman has received a four-year doping ban for possession of a banned substance and twice lying to UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) investigators.
Freeman was found to have ordered 30 sachets of Testogel, containing banned testosterone, to the GB Olympic and Team Sky HQ at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester in May 2011, “knowing or believing it to be for an unnamed rider in May 2011 to improve their athletic performance”.
The struck-off doctor is the first-ever member of Dave Brailsford’s staff to have received a doping sanction due to actions during their employment with the organisation, and now gives Brailsford’s new financial backer, Ineos’ Jim Ratcliffe, the chance to live up to his word when he first got involved with the cycling team: “I have absolutely no interest in cheating or drugs,” he told BBC Sport in 2019 when the team launched. “The day that any of that enters our world we’ll be exiting that world. What’s the point of winning the race if you cheat?”
Seeing as we’re dredging up apt quotes from years gone by, we’ll also remind you of this one from Brailsford in 2013:
“If you’re a cheat, you’re a cheat, you’re not half a cheat. You wouldn’t say, ‘I’ll cheat here but I’m not going to cheat over there; I’ll cheat on a Monday but not on a Tuesday.'”
The reason we have to bring up these old quotes is because we’re not being given any new ones. After being ignored when asking for Brailsford/Ineos Grenadiers’ reaction to the impending Freeman decision a few weeks ago, we are once again being given the silent treatment now the doping ban has been officially announced. Maybe Brailsford is busy chasing Big Jim and his bags of money down the road after the petrochemicals billionaire decided to stand by what he said. More likely, they’re just waiting for the whole thing to blow over.
One thing is for sure, alongside the legitimate marginal gains of British Cycling/Team Sky, there was also the very effective marginal gain of having your doctor banned for ordering up some testosterone.
Feed Zone ?
?? Matteo Jorgenson has signed a three-year deal with Jumbo-Visma.
? Lidl-Trek have signed Andrea Bagioli from Soudal – Quick Step and Patrick Konrad from Bora-Hansgrohe, while Matteo Sobrero arrives at the German team from Jayco-AlUla.
? The men’s Human Powered Health squad will fold at the end of the season, but thankfully the women’s team will continue.
? Chad Haga, who rides for Human Powered Health, has announced he will retire at the end of the season and pursue a gravel calendar in 2024.
?? Anthon Charmig will trade Uno-X for Astana-Qazaqstan next season.
? Alpecin-Deceuninck’s new U23 road race world champion Axel Laurance saved himself a few Euros, having promised to buy his trade teammate Mathieu van der Poel a beer if the Dutchman finished top 5 in the mountain bike event.
? Coryn Labecki has signed for EF Education-Cannondale.
? Warren Barguil, AKA not the King of France, is returning to dsm-firmenich next year.
Cycling on TV ?
Wednesday 16th
Postnord Danmark Rundt, Stage 2
GCN+ (09:45-12:00 ET/14:45-17:00 BST/23:45-02:00 AEST)
Thursday 17th
Arctic Race of Norway, Stage 1
GCN+ (09:25-12:25 ET/14:25-17:25 BST/23:25-02:25 AEST)
Postnord Danmark Rundt, Stage 3
GCN+ (09:45-12:00 ET/14:45-17:00 BST/23:45-02:00 AEST)
Friday 18th
Arctic Race of Norway, Stage 2
GCN+ (09:15-12:15 ET/14:15-17:15 BST/23:15-02:15 AEST)
Postnord Danmark Rundt, Stage 4
GCN+ (09:45-11:45 ET/14:45-16:45 BST/23:45-01:45 AEST)
? Time to give your dad a call quote of the week ?
“If I have to listen to this shit every day it’s going to be a long Vuelta…”
Remco Evenepoel bemoans the persistent rumours of his exit from Soudal – Quick Step at the Glasgow Worlds, which were brought back into the forefront of the media spotlight by…his father Patrick! In an interview, Evenepoel Snr reiterated the need for Soudal – Quick Step to up their game on the GC-supporting front, and that he’d been in contact with five potential teams, further stoking the uncertainty that Remco will fulfill his contract with Patrick Lefevere’s squad until 2026. A long Vuelta here we go! And that’s before Evenepoel has even had to try and figure out how to beat both Vingegaard and Roglič.
And finally…
While Warren Barguil returns to dsm-firmenich because…well, we’re not really sure why. The one thing the Dutch team can’t be beaten on is cryptic and slightly mind-boggling press releases.
Take the announcement that Harm Vanhoucke would be leaving mid-season after only eight months at his new squad to return to the equally aflame trash can that is Lotto-DSTNY. The reason? “Differences in sporting ambition,” according to the team, which head coach Rudi Kemna then proceeds to elaborate on.
“We understand that Harm wants to be a finisher to search for his own results…we no longer believe that this is the right role for Harm in the team, we of course understand Harm’s position and don’t want to hold him back.”
Maybe we’re making a mountain out of a molehill but it’s all just a bit weird!
Corrections corner ?
“One minor correction,” writes Bryan Larsen of the newsletter before this one. “The first ever Guatemalan in the World Tour pro peloton was Anton Villatoro who also rode in the Olympics for Guatemala.”
? Send us yer laundry pics ?
“This is the Laundry Hut in Dennistoun, Glasgow,” wrote Paul O’Toole last week. “Halfway between the city centre circuit and the Chris Hoy Velodrome. Cyclists in national kit cruising along the road outside on their way to the velodrome. I’m having fun pro-spotting.”
As always, we are accepting your own laundry photos (especially ones with the doors open so we can Photoshop riders inside the drum) to star in Spin Cycle. Either send them via the Discord or shoot me an email: [email protected]
Until next time …
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