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.
Spin Cycle
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Welcome back to Spin Cycle, Escape Collective’s news digest.
Sometimes it’s too easy to get sucked into the world of cycling and forget that at its most basic level, racing is just a game. Yes, we have piled meaning and money on top of what is effectively play, but especially in these winter months away from the white heat of big bike races, it’s easier to put it in perspective.
So when Ralph Denk admits to mind games, that’s okay. We like Ralph Denk mind games. What we would also like is to have a go at the Groupama-FDJ version of Guess Who. We don’t ask for much.
Does he have white hair, glasses and a penchant for leaning out of car windows while screaming his head off❓
While Intermarché-Wanty has its riders thumping each other with pillows at pre-season training camps, Groupama-FDJ has created its own version of the Guess Who board game for its riders to play.
Cycling teams usually have at least a quarter of their athletes changing every year, so this is a fun way to help newcomers get to know everyone.
However, this Groupama-FDJ-specific version of the game is made much harder by the fact that nearly every person depicted is 1) male and 2) white. Maybe it’s a motivational tool; if you can complete our impossible Guess Who board game then the 2025 season will be a walk in the park.
Ralph Denk fesses up 🥸
Finally, after months of denying he was courting Remco Evenepoel, having called various newspaper reports “gossip”, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe boss Ralph Denk admits he has been trying to prise the double Olympic champion from Soudal-Quick Step.
“First of all, Remco made it very clear during the Worlds he’ll stay where he is,” Denk answered Het Laatste Nieuws with an accompanying big tired-of-this-line-of-questioning blink when asked about the Belgian. “I think the story is on the rumours coming up from years ago, I had a discussion with Patrick Lefevere regarding Remco. He had a contract, he was willing to stay there, not change his plan, that’s the truth.”
HLN say further talks between Denk and Evenepoel occurred at the Zurich World Championships in September, where Evenepoel publicly summoned up his inner Jordan Belfort to announce he would be staying with Soudal-Quick Step.
“The personality is great from him yeah, and he would also be a good fit,” Denk continued. “But he made it very clear at the Worlds where he sees his future.”
We give it until June for the next round of Evenepoel exit rumours, put a reminder in your calendar.
Pidcock to the Giro?
As reports come out from La Gazzetta dello Sport and Dan Benson that Q36.5 could also snap up Elia Viviani, who’s current contract with Ineos Grenadiers expires at the end of the year, is there a chance this could pave the way for the team’s first Grand Tour appearance?
Lotto-Dstny have announced they once again will not participate in the Giro d’Italia (as one of the two highest-ranked ProTeams they receive an automatic wildcard invite), meaning a spot will be going spare.
Presuming both Italian ProTeams Polti Kometa and *deep breath* VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè still receive their wildcards, it could be between Tudor Pro Cycling and Q36.5 for that final wildcard.
What would be more appealing to RCS: having Tom Pidcock and Viviani on the startline, or Julian Alaphilippe, Alberto Dainese and Matteo Trentin? This could be one to keep an eye on.
Feed Zone 🥖
🇸🇮 Primož Roglič is the first of the ‘Big Four’ to announce his Grand Tour programme for 2025, choosing to ride the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France next season. Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov will have co-leadership at the Vuelta a España.
💰 Rumours are going around that Maxim Van Gils’ new salary at Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe is in the €2.4 million region, which has been knocked back by Daniel Friebe after he spoke to sources within the team.
🏍️ MotoGP’s Aleix Espargaró will be part of Lidl-Trek’s training team next year, the squad having announced him as an “ambassador” of the team.
Cycling on TV 📺
Tuesday December 17th – Friday December 20th
No live racing …
Instead, our weekly YouTube recommendation is the cycling equivalent of chucking on a family favourite movie at this festive time of year: A Lachlan Morton EF Gone (Alternative Racing) video.
🙅♂️ Made-up term we need to put a stop to of the week 🙅♂️
Something that appeared on our desk courtesy of JonnyK on Discord is Ben O’Connor’s visit to the office of Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale bike supplier Van Rysel, part of a farewell tour before he departs for Jayco-AlUla in 2025 where he will instead do meet and greets with UNESCO world heritage rocks.
Sounds fairly straightforward, but the reason we’re interested is Van Rysel’s decision to describe him as Vice World Champion. Yes, he did come second in the Zurich road race, but it’s not like he’ll wear the rainbow jersey whenever Tadej Pogačar isn’t present at a race. O’Connor is not the vice president of the rainbow jersey. Just like how Warren Barguil isn’t the King of France. More pertinently, as JonnyK pointed out, “when did Vice World Champion become a thing?” It needs getting rid of. As soon as possible.
And finally …
There were some raised eyebrow when Mark Cavendish wasn’t included in the six-person shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, especially when darts player Luke Littler was chosen. Nothing against Littler, he is very good at darts, but come on, Cavendish?!
Luckily, he will instead receive the Lifetime Achievement award at the event. Does this really matter? No. Do Brits weirdly care quite a lot about it? Yes.
A fun bit of dissonance from the weekend, while Mark Cavendish says legacy is important upon the announcement of his upcoming award, the retiring Patrick Lefevere has another view, telling Dan Benson: “Legacies are for cemeteries.”
🧺 Send us yer laundry pics
“Here is my photo of a laundrette in Ljubljana, where my son and I spent a weekend while hiking Slovenia from east to west last summer,” writes Cengiz, attaching today’s featured laundrette.
“The laundry was handily located between the city’s recreational park, the Tivoli, and their brewery. Good reasons to stop by.”
As always, we are accepting your 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 …
That’s all folks! Thanks to Cengiz, JonnyK and Kit Nicholson for contributions to today’s edition, and a big thank you to all of you who have signed up as Escape Collective members. If you haven’t, there is no time like the present. To smooth the process just click this link here and hit the Join Today button in the top right of the page.
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Spin Cycle
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