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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Hello!
Welcome back to Spin Cycle, Escape Collective’s news digest.
Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the peloton,
Not a rider was stirring, not even Matteo Jorgenson.
The bikes were hung up in the garages with care,
In Girona, Belgium, even Andorra’s rarified air.
These riders nestled in their beds, could not have been snugger
Even Visma-Lease a Bike’s riders, despite having nightmares featuring Richard Plugge.
With Merijn Zeeman in his ‘kerchief, and Grischa Niermann’s shark-tooth necklace and pout,
Grischa leans in and whispers: “You’re a fucking motorbike, Wout.”
But before we get all festive, we’ll kick things off with a very un-Christmassy story, just to get you in the holiday spirit! What are we like!
Shiny new team kit to make you forget the bad vibes 🙈🙉🙊
Despite being partially bankrolled by Saudi Arabia, a nation state that’s sentenced 198 people to death so far this year for crimes ranging from taking part in anti-government protests to drug-related charges, WorldTour team Jayco-AlUla has a new kit and it looks great, so don’t worry about all that other stuff!
Yes, bucking the trend of brands using too few vowels, Australian cycling clothing brand MAAP is stepping into the WorldTour for the first time to kit out their compatriot WorldTour team.
The purple gradient number they’ve produced immediately elevates them to a top three jersey in the WorldTour, whereas previously their mediocre navy/blue/orange number looked decidedly not fast.
It’s giving EF Education-EasyPost, as in a modern kit with a brand image geared towards fashion, youth, and energy. In other words (as our fearless leader Caley Fretz wrote/BlueSkyed?) what happens if you give actually damn about marketing and branding.
Immediately, due to being suckers for aesthetics as people with eyes, we are already looking forward to seeing Jayco-AlUla in this kit. Should we feel bad about being so easily persuaded? Is it okay to just like the kit? Is this how sportswashing is supposed to work? Is this a hill worth dying on? It’s difficult to know anymore.
Do say: Most big-time sponsorship money is probably bad, at least this doesn’t offend our eyeballs. Don’t say: Look sick, feel sick … at all the human rights atrocities.
Marco! Red Bull! 🚀
Marco Haller wasn’t exactly chuffed with his departure from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe at the end of this season, telling Dan Benson he felt he’d been “dropped like a hot potato” and that he still doesn’t understand the decision of his now former team to tell him they were parting ways while still selecting him for their Tour de France squad.
“There are no hard feelings with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe,” Haller said. “I just learned again that there’s no such thing as loyalty from team bosses and that they don’t care as soon as they have a rider who is better or another idea.”
Fortunately, Haller found a new home at a revamped, Julian Alaphilippe-headlined Tudor Pro Cycling, but will still technically be riding for Red Bull, after the chemicals-in-an-expensive-small-tin company was announced as Tudor’s “official energy drink partner” for 2025.
So, Haller thought he was done with Red Bull, but clearly Red Bull wasn’t done with him.
Feed Zone 🥖
🏆 Another quote from Mark Cavendish in the Guardian pre-BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award: “Spoty lifetime award is nice but as a competitor you want to be shortlisted [for the main award]”.
🐶 If you want to hear Tom Pidcock recite a bedtime story for one of his dogs that’s now a thing that exists.
😵💫 Marlen Reusser utilised hypnosis sessions to help her recover from long COVID, she told Blick this week.
😤 Dylan Teuns has told Sporza his non-selection for this summer’s Tour de France was the reason he decided to leave Israel-Premier Tech for Cofidis.
🪣 Spitoons at the ready, as Hulst beefs up security for its cyclocross World Cup round this weekend after last year’s gob-gate with Mathieu van der Poel, who will skip this year’s edition before lining up a day later at Zonhoven.
Cycling on TV 📺
All cyclocross
Saturday December 21st
UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Hulst – Women
(07:30-09:00 ET/12:30-14:00 GMT/23:30-01:00 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, UCI’s YouTube🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (or FloBikes in US and Canada)
UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Hulst – Men
(09:00-10:30 ET/14:00-15:30 GMT/01:00-02:30 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, UCI’s YouTube🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (or FloBikes in US and Canada)
Sunday December 22nd
UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Zonhoven – Women
(07:30-09:00 ET/12:30-14:00 GMT/23:30-01:00 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, UCI’s YouTube🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (or FloBikes in US and Canada)
UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Zonhoven – Men
(09:00-10:30 ET/14:00-15:30 GMT/01:00-02:30 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, UCI’s YouTube🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (or FloBikes in US and Canada)
Monday December 23rd
Superprestige Mol – Women
(07:35-08:35 ET/12:35-13:35 GMT/23:35-00:35 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, Max 🇺🇸, FloBikes🇨🇦, Staylive🇦🇺
Superprestige Mol – Men
(09:05-10:30 ET/14:05-15:30 GMT/01:05-02:30 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, Max 🇺🇸, FloBikes🇨🇦, Staylive🇦🇺
Tuesday December 24th-Wednesday December 25th
No live racing …
Thursday December 26th
UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Gavere – Women
(07:30-09:00 ET/12:30-14:00 GMT/23:30-01:00 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, UCI’s YouTube🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (or FloBikes in US and Canada)
UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Gavere – Men
(09:00-10:30 ET/14:00-15:30 GMT/01:00-02:30 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, UCI’s YouTube🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (or FloBikes in US and Canada)
Friday December 27th
Exact Cross Loenhout, Azencross – Women
(07:40-08:55 ET/12:40-13:55 GMT/23:40-00:55 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, Max 🇺🇸, FloBikes🇨🇦, Staylive🇦🇺
Exact Cross Loenhout, Azencross – Women
(08:55-10:20 ET/13:55-15:20 GMT/00:55-02:20 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, Max 🇺🇸, FloBikes🇨🇦, Staylive🇦🇺
Saturday December 28th
No live racing …
Sunday December 29th
UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Besançon – Women
(07:30-09:00 ET/12:30-14:00 GMT/23:30-01:00 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, UCI’s YouTube🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (or FloBikes in US and Canada)
UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Besançon – Men
(09:00-10:30 ET/14:00-15:30 GMT/01:00-02:30 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, UCI’s YouTube🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (or FloBikes in US and Canada)
Monday December 30th
Superprestige Diegem – Women
(11:55-13:00 ET/16:55-18:00 GMT/03:55-05:00 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, Max 🇺🇸, FloBikes🇨🇦, Staylive🇦🇺
Superprestige Diegem – Men
(14:25-15:45 ET/19:25-20:45 GMT/06:25-07:45 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, Max 🇺🇸, FloBikes🇨🇦, Staylive🇦🇺
Tuesday December 31st
No live racing …
Wednesday January 1st
X20 Trofee Baal, GP Sven Nys – Women
(07:40-08:55 ET/12:40-13:55 GMT/23:40-00:55 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, FloBikes🇺🇸🇨🇦, Staylive🇦🇺
X20 Trofee Baal, GP Sven Nys – Men
(08:55-10:20 ET/13:55-15:20 GMT/00:55-02:20 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, FloBikes🇺🇸🇨🇦, Staylive🇦🇺
Thursday January 2nd
No live racing …
Friday January 3rd
X20 Trofee Koksijde, Vlaamse Duinencros – Women
(07:40-08:55 ET/12:40-13:55 GMT/23:40-00:55 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, FloBikes🇺🇸🇨🇦, Staylive🇦🇺
X20 Trofee Koksijde, Vlaamse Duinencros – Men
(08:55-10:20 ET/13:55-15:20 GMT/00:55-02:20 AEDT) Eurosport/Discovery+🇬🇧, FloBikes🇺🇸🇨🇦, Staylive🇦🇺
👋 Farewell of the week 👋
As Julian Alaphilippe says farewell to Soudal-Quick Step, the team’s social media has been trotting out some best bits of their French star, including this video of the two-time world champion having a Big One at a La Liga football match last year.
And finally …
We’ll end with a memory shared by The Inner Ring of Belgian cycling legend Rik Van Looy, who sadly passed away this week aged 90.
“One day his son comes home from school with bad grades. Van Looy criticises him, the boy replies, ‘Well you can’t win a classic any more.’ Eight days later, 34-year-old Van Looy wins his first Flèche Wallonne, and completes the feat of winning every classic on the calendar.”
The type of petulant child riposte you could only possibly get in Belgium.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas 🎄👋
Along with the rest of the Escape Collective staff, we’re taking the next couple of weeks off. But don’t worry, there are “here’s two I made earlier” special editions of Spin Cycle coming, cast in papier mâche in the image and likeness of Blue Peter’s Thunderbirds’ Tracey Island, except instead of lathering the model with glue our mental state purports that we’ve huffed it instead (we haven’t; stay in school, kids).
Firstly, on Wednesday December 25th, a bumper, and we mean BUMPER, 2024 rewind will be dropping into your inbox, before a sideways look ahead to 2025 follows on Wednesday January 1st. We’ll then return to regular programming on Friday January 3rd.
🧺 Send us yer laundry pics (please)
I snapped this photo doing some last-minute Christmas shopping this week walking through the Sparks department store in Bristol. Yes, it’s my turn. This is a Christmas gift to myself.
Having recently switched work laptops, my previously fairly-organised folder containing all of the laundromat submissions has been jumbled up, making it difficult to locate ones I hadn’t used yet. I will get re-organised in the new year but I’m pretty sure we were beginning to run low on submissions as the one-time dopamine hit of seeing a photograph you snapped of a laundry machine dissipates faster than Tadej Pogačar makes an attack.
So, if you find yourself in the immediate vicinity of a laundry machine this holiday season, phone in hand, please take a snap and send it in. Either via the Discord or shoot me an email: [email protected]
Until next time …
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Spin Cycle
Enter your email address to get our unique spin on news from the world of cycling delivered directly to your inbox!
Get our unique spin on news from the world of cycling delivered directly to your inbox!
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