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Exactly one year after the biggest win of his career on the Champs-Elysées, Jordi Meeus has been extended by his formation Red Bull-Bora

The Belgian sprinter joined Bora-Hansgrohe in 2021 and have raised his arms 8 times under the German team's colours. The biggest win of all was of course his incredible sprint on the Champs-Elysées last year, revealing him to the eyes of the world. Yesterday, Jordi Meeus took his second win of the season by winning the first stage of the Etihas Tour de Wallonie, an early celebration before the announcement of his renewal.

In the team statement of Red Bull-Bora, Meeus declared: I'm really happy to stay with the team. I've become a professional cyclist here and I've felt at home from the beginning." Let's hope for him that he will shine again on World Tour roads very soon, maybe on the Tour of Poland in which he will take part in August.

Source: Red Bull-Bora team statement

23/07/2024

After his historical wins on the Tour de France and the Giro, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) was waited in Paris, for the Olympics Road Race where he was one of the favourites. However, the Slovenian has announced on Instagram that he needed "to take a bit of rest" in order to be as strong as possible for his next objective: The World Championships. The non-selection of Pogacar's fiancee Urska Zigart (Liv AlUla Jayco) may also have had an impact on the choice of the triple Tour de France winner, as he showed his misunderstanding of this choice publicly a few days ago.

With this announcement, "Pogi" also confirmed that he will not take part in La Vuelta, where he could have tried to make history once more by winning the three Grand Tours the same year. He will now aim for a first rainbow jersey in Zurich before defending his title on the Giro di Lombardia.

Tadej Pogacar's replacement for the Olympics race will be his teammate Domen Novak, who will ride alongside Luka Mezgec (Jayco-AlUla), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious) and Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike).

Source: Tadej Pogacar Instagram story

23/07/2024

Following a ‘fairytale’ ride at the 2024 Tour de France, where he won three stages (Stages 3, 8 and 12), and brought home the green ‘points’ jersey, Biniam Girmay has just announced that he has extended his contract with his current team, Intermarché-Wanty, through to 2028.

Girmay joined the team in 2021, and since then, has shown himself to be an impressive sprinting and one-day racing talent – having won a stage in the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de Suisse, Gent-Wevelgem, and the Circuit Franco-Belge, in the past few years. He was close to a stage win in last year’s Tour, but prior to this year, his best result in a Tour de France sprint was a solid third place.

This year, however, after having had to abandon the Giro d’Italia, following two nasty crashes on Stage 4, the young sprinter came to the Tour de France ready to perform, and managed to secure three stage wins, and the points classification – with a lead of 33 points on Jasper Philipsen, last year’s winner. This Tour was therefore historic for both Girmay and Intermarché-Wanty. The impressive Eritrean became the first Black African in history to win a stage in the Tour de France, and the first African to win the points classification. Additionally, he gave the Belgian team their first ever stage win at the Tour (plus two more), and this marks the first time that they have ever won a classification at the Tour de France, and brought home a distinctive jersey.

Therefore, following this performance, it is only natural that the team would want to re-sign the young star for as long as possible, and Girmay himself seems more than happy with this arrangement. In confirming that he broke open his contract to extend it for two more years than planned, he stated that Intermarché-Wanty is “like a family” and “the perfect team to achieve [his] goals”. Girmay and the team now look to the future to see what more they can achieve together.

Source: Intermarché-Wanty X (formerly Twitter) Post

23/07/2024

The organisers of this year’s Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men have finally announced the race route, which will travel from Scotland’s Kelso, to Felixstowe on the Suffolk coast, over six days of racing.

Four new locations have been added this year (Barnsley, Derby, Northampton, and Lowestoft) alongside six previous host locations (Kelso, Redcar, Newark-on-Trent, Felixstowe, Darlington, and Sheffield).

Full Route:

Stage 1 – Kelso to Kelso (03/09/2024)

Stage 2 – Darlington to Redcar (04/09/2024)

Stage 3 – Sheffield to Barnsley (05/09/2024)

Stage 4 – Derby to Newark (06/09/2024)

Stage 5 – Northampton to Northampton (07/09/2024)

Stage 6 – Lowestoft to Felixstowe (08/09/2024)

It is expected that further details, including route maps and detailed timings, will follow in the coming weeks.

Source: British Cycling Press Release

19/07/2024

Team GB have just announced their official selection for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.

The men’s team for the Road Race includes Tom Pidcock, Stevie Williams, Fred Wright and Josh Tarling. Tarling will also compete in the Individual Time Trial, as will Ethan Hayter, and Hayter will also compete in Track Endurance, alongside Dan Bigham, Charlie Tanfield, Ethan Vernon and Ollie Wood. Pidcock (the reigning Mountain Bike gold medallist) is also looking to repeat his success at the last Olympic Games in the Mountain Bike race, alongside Charlie Aldridge.

The women’s team for the Road Race includes Lizzie Deignan, Pfeiffer Georgi (the current British Champion) and Anna Morris – with Anna Henderson competing in the Individual Time Trial. Anna Morris will also participate in Track Endurance, alongside Elinor Barker, Neah Evans, Josie Knight and Jess Roberts.

Source: Team GB Press Release

10/07/2024

Belgium was one of the first countries to announce their selection for the upcoming Olympic Games, and as expected, their men’s team will be led by Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel. They will both compete in the Road Race and the Individual Time Trial, and will be supported by Van Aert’s trade teammate, Tiesj Benoot, and Jasper Stuyven, in the Road Race.

The men’s ITT will take place on 27/07/2024, and the Road Race on 03/08/2024.

The women’s team will be led by the current World Champion, Lotte Kopecky, who is set to compete in the Road Race, Individual Time Trial, and Track races (Madison and Omnium). She will be supported by Justine Ghekiere, Margot Vanpachtenbeke and Julie Van de Velde in the Road Race.

The women’s ITT will take place on 27/07/2024, and the Road Race on 04/08/2024.

Source: Team Belgium’s Instagram Post Announcements for the Men & Women

10/07/2024

It has just been revealed that CANYON-SRAM have signed three incredible riders to their team for 2025.

The first is Kasia Niewiadoma, who has been with the team since 2018, and just signed a two-year contract extension to remain with the team through to 2026. During her time with the team so far, she has established herself as a world-class rider, having won the polka-dot ‘Queen of the Mountains’ jersey at the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift, La Flèche Wallonne, and the Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition. She is now almost synonymous with the German team, and as stated by the Team Manager, “has achieved the most significant results for the team”. Niewiadoma herself has stated that no other team felt right for her, and that at CANYON-SRAM, she can fully be herself, and feels “accepted, understood and motivated”. Her future goals are now to win the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift, Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, and the World Championships Road Race.

Additionally, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig is set to move over from FDJ-SUEZ, and will likely bolster the CANYON-SRAM classics team, as well as being a valuable asset in Grand Tours for her stage-hunting prowess.

Finally, Chiara Consonni will move across from UAE Team ADQ. The Italian sprinter – who has already won multiple one-day races this year, as well as a stage in the Giro d’Italia Donne for the past two years in a row – is expected to slot nicely into the CANYON-SRAM team, which is currently more climber-heavy.

Source: Wielerflits, ProCyclingUK

28/06/2024

BORA-Hansgrohe (now newly named Red Bull BORA-Hansgrohe) have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, which is built around their new leader, Primož Roglič.

Despite having won both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, and being known as one of the best one-week stage racers in the world, at this point in his career, Roglič is still missing the Tour de France from his palmarès. In order to have a better chance at going for the yellow jersey, he decided at the end of last year, to leave his old team (then Jumbo-Visma) to seek full leadership at another. BORA-Hansgrohe jumped at the chance to sign him, and the team is now heading into the Tour with Roglič as their undisputed leader, and aiming for first place in the General Classification.

Roglič will be supported by Aleksandr Vlasov, who will act as his right-hand man in the mountains – as he did at the Critérium du Dauphiné a few weeks ago, where he helped Roglič to take his first stage race victory of the year. The team will also be bringing Jai Hindley, who won a stage in the Tour last year, and wore the yellow jersey. Alongside his role as a helper for Roglič, he too will likely be aiming for a good place in the GC again this year. Finally, Danny van Poppel has also been chosen to compete, and it is assumed that he will be able to go for stage wins on the stages that suit him.

In the team announcement, BORA-Hansgrohe also revealed their new ‘Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe’ kit, which will make its debut at the tour.

Full team:

Nico Denz (GER), Marco Haller (AUT), Jai Hindley (AUS), Bob Jungels (LUX), Primoz Roglic (SLO), Matteo Sobrero (ITA), Danny van Poppel (NED) and Aleksandr Vlasov (RUS).

Source: Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe X (formerly Twitter) Post

28/06/2024

Team Intermarché-Wanty have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, which will be aiming to take the team’s first ever stage win at the Tour, and have a rider finish in the top ten in the General Classification.

Louis Meintjes – who has already achieved a top-ten place in the Tour before, in 2022 – will be their GC leader, and Biniam Girmay – a previous Giro d’Italia stage winner – will be their main man for the sprints. As a back-up, they are also bringing Gerben Thijssen, another sprinter, who will be making his debut in the Tour.

Hugo Page and Laurenz Rex are also making their debuts in the Tour this year, and are expected to play a role in the team’s sprint train, as well as potentially being able to pursue opportunities of their own, on the stages that suit them.

Finally, this team will also be supported by Kobe Goosens and Georg Zimmermann, and Mike Teunissen – stage winner at the 2019 Tour de France – will be there too, to lend experience to the team. 

Full Team:

Biniam Girmay (ERI), Kobe Goosens (BEL), Louis Meintjes (RSA), Hugo Page (FRA), Laurenz Rex (BEL), Mike Teunissen (NED), Gerben Thijssen (BEL) and Georg Zimmermann (GER).

Source: Intermarché-Wanty X (formerly Twitter) Post

25/06/2024

Alpecin-Deceuninck has announced their line-up for the upcoming Tour de France, with high hopes of stage wins.

The Belgian team will have one of the best sprinters in the world at the start in Florence with Jasper Philipsen. Last year Green jersey will try to bring home this classification another time. With a full lead-out train with him - including Jonas Rickaert and Soren Kragh Andersen - the Belgian will be the main favourite for the bunch sprints. 

The World Champion Mathieu Van der Poel will surely help Philipsen but he will also try to go for his own stages on some punchy days. The young French Axel Laurance will also be a man to watch for his first Grand Tour.

Full team:

Mathieu Van der Poel (NED); Jasper Philipsen (BEL); Axel Laurance (FRA); Jonas Rickaert (BEL); Soren Kragh Andersen (DEN); Robbe Ghys (BEL); Silvan Dillier (SWI) and Gianni Vermeersch (BEL).

Source: Alpecin-Deceuninck's Instagram post

25/06/2024

Team TotalEnergies, the only French Pro Team, has announced its roster for the 2024 Tour de France, with the objective of winning for the first time since 2017 on the July roads.

We should see Jean-Rene Bernaudeau's men at the front of the race very often, on all types of profile. Sandy Dujardin and Mathieu Burgaudeau could shine on breakaway days, while Jordan Jegat and Stef Cras will be expected in the mountains.

Full team:

Anthony Turgis (FRA); Sandy Dujardin (FRA); Jordan Jegat (FRA); Stef Cras (BEL); Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA); Thomas Gachignard (FRA); Matteo Vercher (FRA) and Fabien Grellier (FRA).

Source: https://x.com/TeamTotalEnrg/status/1805209643775312033?t=zRyr9w30x0GqcIqJBqoOGg&s=19

25/06/2024

Team Lotto-Dstny have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, and their intention to aim for stage wins.

Arnaud De Lie – the newly-crowned Belgian Champion – will be making his debut in the Tour this year, and is aiming to perform well in the sprint stages, as well as any other stages that might suit his profile. In the sprints, he will be led out by Jarrad Drizners and Cedric Beullens.

The team has announced however, that De Lie’s main priority is to gain experience, and therefore that they don’t want to put any pressure or expectations on his performance. Thus, there are a number of other riders on the team that will also be free to go for stage wins. For example, Harm Vanhoucke will be permitted to join breakaway groups, as well as having complete freedom in the hilly and/or mountain stages. Brent Van More will also be free to chase his own stage success.

Additionally, Victor Campenaerts – who won last year’s super-combativity award – will be there, to bring his experience to the young team.

Full team:

Maxim Van Gils (BEL), Arnaud De Lie (BEL), Victor Campenaerts (BEL), Brent Van Moer (BEL), Jarrad Drizners (AUS), Harm Vanhoucke (BEL), Sébastien Grignard (BEL) and Cedric Beullens (BEL).

Source: Lotto-Dstny Press Release

25/06/2024

Soudal Quick-Step have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France – revealing a team that has been built around their ‘star rider’, Remco Evenepoel.

Despite having ridden both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España twice (and having won the latter once), Evenepoel is still yet to ride the biggest Grand Tour of them all: the Tour de France. He will therefore be making his debut this year, and the team hopes that he can perform highly in the General Classification, and secure some stage wins. Evenepoel has attempted to temper expectations somewhat, however – not only is this his first time racing in the Tour, but he is also still recovering from the injuries he sustained in a crash at the Itzulia Basque Country race a few months ago. He therefore insists that “the plan is to discover the race, take it one day at a time and see where this leads us”.

Evenepoel will be supported by Mikel Landa, who will also be aiming for a good GC result. Additionally, Jan Hirt, Yves Lampaert, Gianni Moscon, Casper Pedersen, Ilan Van Wilder and Louis Vervaeke, will also be there to assist their leader.

Full team:

Remco Evenepoel (BEL), Mikel Landa (ESP), Jan Hirt (CZE), Yves Lampaert (BEL), Gianni Moscon (ITA), Casper Pedersen (DEN), Ilan Van Wilder (BEL) and Louis Vervaeke (BEL).

Source: Soudal Quick-Step Press Release

25/06/2024

Team Arkéa-B&B Hotels have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, with their main goal being to win stages.

Their sprinter, Arnaud Démare – who has already won a stage at the Tour de France twice before – will be looking to win on the flat, pure sprint stages. He will be supported by a leadout train including Amaury Capiot and Luca Mozzato, with Daniel McLay as his ‘last man’. Capiot will also be free to join breakaway groups, and aims to pursue a stage victory that way, whilst Mozzato will be free to go for the win on stages less suited towards the ‘pure sprinters’.

Clément Champoussin will be their main man for the ‘puncheur’ stages, and Cristián Rodríguez is their main ‘climber’ for the mountain stages. Raúl García Pierna and Kévin Vauquelin have also been selected, and so will be making their debut in the tour this year, in a supporting role for this team.

Full team:

Amaury Capiot (BEL), Clément Champoussin (FRA), Arnaud Démare (FRA), Raúl García Pierna (ESP), Daniel McLay (GBR), Luca Mozzato (ITA), Cristián Rodríguez (ESP) and Kévin Vauquelin (FRA).

Source: Arkéa-B&B Hotels Press Release

25/06/2024

EF Education-EasyPost have just announced their team for the upcoming Tour de France, where they will aim for stage wins.

The American team send a very complete roster at the start in Florence with riders who have the possibility to perform on every profile. They will be a team to watch in the breakaways with riders such as the recent Italian champion Alberto Bettiol and Ben Healy. Marijn Van den Berg will be in charge for the sprints but he will be almost alone, only Stefan Bissegger will be there for him.

On the mountains, Richard Carapaz will be the leader of EF Education-EasyPost despite his crash on the Tour de Suisse. The two Americans Neilson Powless and Sean Quinn should be his main domestiques when the road will go up.

Full team: Alberto Bettiol (ITA); Stefan Bissegger (SWI), Rui Costa (POR); Richard Carapaz (ECU); Sean Quinn (USA); Neilson Powless (USA); Marijn Van den Berg (NED); Ben Healy (IRE)

Groupama-FDJ have announced the 8 riders that will compose their team for the 2024 Tour de France, with one clear objective : winning.

The French team has not won on the roads of its national tour since 2019 and Thibaut Pinot at the Tourmalet. This year, they bring a team with a lot of potential for playing, on almost every stage. Indeed, Stefan Kung will be the man for the time trial but he is also capable of winning after a long breakaway. Valentin Madouas and Romain Grégoire showed their strength in their national championships, such as Kevin Geniets who became Champion of Luxembourg.

For the mountains, David Gaudu is the official leader but the surprise Lenny Martinez could also ride behind this objective. The young French climber was not supposed to ride the Tour de France, focusing on La Vuelta, but he took the place of Rémy Rochas, who had a concussion after a crash on the Dauphiné.

Full team: David Gaudu (FRA); Lenny Martinez (FRA); Romain Grégoire (FRA); Stefan Kung (SWI); Kevin Geniets (LUX), Valentin Madouas (FRA), Quentin Pacher (FRA); Clément Russo (FRA)

Source: Groupama-FDJ's post on X

25/06/2024

Cofidis have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, with their main goal being to win at least one stage.

The team includes a number of talented climbers, with Guillaume Martin expected to be the leader. Ion Izagirre, Jésus Herrada, and Simon Geschke, will be there to support him, and ready to take advantage of any opportunities that arise. Bryan Coquard will also be there, as their sprinter, with a leadout train including Alexis Renard, Piet Allegaert and Axel Zingle – the latter of whom will also be free to go for a stage win himself, on the hillier stages that might suit him.

Full team:

Piet Allegaert (BEL), Bryan Coquard (FRA), Simon Geschke (GER), Jésus Herrada (ESP), Ion Izagirre (ESP), Guillaume Martin (FRA), Alexis Renard (FRA) and Axel Zingle (FRA).

Source: Team Cofidis Press Release

24/06/2024

Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, as they aim to take as many stage wins as possible.

Fabio Jakobsen, a previous Tour de France stage winner, will be their main man for the pure sprint stages, and will be led out by John Degenkolb, Bram Welten and Nils Eekhoff. Then, they have a few riders in the team suited for the hillier stages, including Frank van den Broek – who is making his debut in the Tour this year. Finally, in the mountains, the likes of Oscar Onley, Warren Barguil and Romain Bardet, will have their time to shine – with the latter looking to perform well in his final Tour de France before he retires next year.

Full team:

Romain Bardet (FRA), Warren Barguil (FRA), John Degenkolb (GER), Nils Eekhoff (NED), Fabio Jakobsen (NED), Oscar Onley (GBR), Frank van den Broek (NED) and Bram Welten (NED).

Source: DSM-Firmenich PostNL Press Release

24/06/2024

The INEOS Grenadiers have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, which will be built around co-leaders Carlos Rodríguez and Egan Bernal.

Rodríguez – who has shown his General Classification potential in multiple stage races this year already – will be aiming for GC success in this year’s Tour, alongside Egan Bernal, who has already won the Tour once before. Bernal has made an impressive comeback after his life-threatening accident in 2022, and his 2024 season so far has shown that he has built up good enough form to challenge for at least a top-ten place.

These two will be supported by a strong team, including Jonathan Castroviejo, Laurens De Plus, and Ben Turner. Previous Tour de France stage winners, Michal Kwiatkowski and Tom Pidcock, will also be part of the team, and will likely be free to go for stage wins alongside helping their GC co-leaders. Finally, Geraint Thomas – who himself won the Tour years ago – will also be there, to support and lend experience to the new, younger GC leaders.

Full team:

Egan Bernal (COL), Jonathan Castroviejo (ESP), Laurens De Plus (BEL), Michal Kwiatkowski (POL), Tom Pidcock (GBR), Carlos Rodriguez (ESP), Geraint Thomas (GBR) and Ben Turner (GBR).

Source: INEOS Grenadiers Press Release

24/06/2024

Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale will have a "double objective" on this Tour de France 2024 with the general classification but also stage wins.

On the announcement post of the team, the general manager Vincent Lavenu spoke of the objectives of his team for this Tour de France. He mentioned a "twofold objective" with, first of all, the general classification.

The Austrian Felix Gall finished 8th last year on the French July roads and his goal for this edition is to stay on the top 10 of the biggest race in the world.

Except for Gall, Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale will aim for stage wins on all types of profiles. Indeed, Sam Bennett will be the man for massive sprints whereas riders such as the recent French Champion Paul Lapeira will go on breakaways.

Full team: Bruno Armirail (FRA); Sam Bennett (IRE); Felix Gall (AUT); Dorian Godon (FRA); Paul Lapeira (FRA); Oliver Naesen (BEL); Nans Peters (FRA) and Nicolas Prodhomme (FRA)

Source : Decathlon-AG2R team statement

24/06/2024

Astana-Qazaqstan will aim for stage wins at the Tour de France 2024.

The main objective of these three weeks for the Kazakh team will be for Mark Cavendish to beat Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins on the French roads. The British veteran will have the majority of the team to work for him during the flat stages, including Davide Ballerini, Cees Bol and Michael Morkov, who will compose his lead-out train.

On the more difficult profiles, we should see Alexey Lutsenko and Harold Tejada going on breakaways, in order to compete for the win.

Astana-Qazaqstan's success on this Tour de France will likely be decided by Mark Cavendish's ability to win a stage or not, for what should be his last ever Tour de France.

Full team: Davide Ballerini (ITA); Cees Bol (NED); Mark Cavendish (GBR); Yevgeniy Fedorov (KAZ); Michele Gazzoli (ITA); Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ); Michael Morkov (DEN) and Harold Tejada (COL).

Source : Astana-Qazaqstan's post on X

24/06/2024

Lidl-Trek have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, which will be aiming for stage wins.

The team had to make some last-minute substitutions and strategy adjustments, after Tao Geoghegan Hart – who would’ve been their General Classification rider – fell ill, and Alex Kirsch got injured, but the final selection looks perfectly optimised to take stage wins with a number of the riders.

Mads Pedersen – a previous Tour de France stage winner in the past two editions – will lead the charge, and is likely aiming for the sprint stages. Supporting him, will be Jasper Stuyven and Toms Skujins – both of whom may be able to go for stage wins of their own, on the more hilly stages. Tim Declercq will also be there to assist the team in controlling the peloton on the flatter roads.

Giulio Ciccone – last year’s King of the Mountains jersey winner – has also been selected, and will aim to perform well in the mountains once again.

Full team:

Julien Bernard (FRA), Jasper Stuyven (BEL), Giulio Ciccone (ITA), Tim Declercq (BEL), Ryan Gibbons (RSA), Mads Pedersen (DEN), Toms Skujins (LAT) and Carlos Verona (ESP).

Source: Lidl-Trek Press Release

24/06/2024

Movistar Team have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, which is built around their General Classification leader, Enric Mas.

Mas – having come close to winning the Vuelta a España three times in the past – will be looking to take his GC potential and convert it into a good performance in this year’s Tour de France. He will be supported by Davide Formolo, Gregor Mühlberger, Javier Romo, and Nelson Oliveira.

The team also looks prime for stage-hunting, with riders like Oier Lazkano and Alex Aranburu set to take to the start. Additionally, Fernando Gaviria will be there to contest the sprint stages.

Full team:

Enric Mas (ESP), Oier Lazkano (ESP), Davide Formolo (ITA), Nelson Oliveira (PRT), Alex Aranburu (ESP), Fernando Gaviria (COL), Gregor Mühlberger (AUT) and Javier Romo (ESP).

Source: Movistar Press Release

24/06/2024

Team Bahrain Victorious have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, which will be built around their General Classification leader, Santiago Buitrago, with opportunities for their other riders to hunt the stages that suit them.

Buitrago has shown his talent and secured a stage win in each of his last two appearances at the Giro d’Italia (in 2022 & 2023), but has never ridden the Tour, and so this year will be making his debut. He hopes to perform well in the General Classification and fight for the white jersey, and will be supported by Pello Bilbao, Wout Poels, and Matej Mohorič – all of whom won a stage each in last year’s edition of the ‘Grand Boucle’ – as well as Jack Haig and Fred Wright.

As well as supporting Buitrago, these riders are also aiming to win stages themselves, whenever the opportunity arises – Mohorič, the current gravel World Champion, is especially looking forward to stage 9, which is set to feature 14 gravel sectors. The team is also bringing their sprinter, Phil Bauhaus, and aiming to win the sprint stages with him, led out by Nikias Arndt.

Full team:

Matej Mohorič (SLO), Wout Poels (NED), Pello Bilbao (ESP), Phil Bauhaus (GER), Santiago Buitrago (COL), Jack Haig (AUS), Fred Wright (GBR), Nikias Arndt (GER).

Source: Bahrain Victorious Press Release

23/06/2024

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has just announced that he has extended his contract with the team, for four more years, until 2028.

For much of this year, there has been increasing speculation about where Philipsen would sign after his contract expires at the end of the year, however today, Philipsen put an end to the guessing-game in an Instagram post, captioned: "I'm not leaving". He also confirmed the news in a pre-Tour de France press conference in Wevelgem.

Since joining the team in 2021, Philipsen has grown into one of the best sprinters in the world. He has won six stages in the Tour de France – and the Tour de France green ‘points’ jersey – three stages at the Vuelta a España, three stages at Tirreno-Adriatico, Milano-Sanremo, and a number of other prestigious races. He has also achieved second place at Paris-Roubaix, two years in a row.

Philipsen and the Belgian team therefore seem like a ‘match made in heaven’, and Philipsen has echoed this statement. He stated that it was “an obvious choice to stay”, as they “have the same mindset and goals", and he feels at home with the team.

Source: Cycling News

21/06/2024

It has just been announced that Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) will retire from road racing next year.

The Frenchman has thus far enjoyed a great career – having won many prestigious races, including three stages at the Tour de France (and the King of the Mountains jersey), a stage at the Vuelta a España, and the Tour of the Alps. He has also podiumed the Tour de France twice, and just a few months ago, he came second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).

However, despite still being in good form, Bardet has decided to retire next year, at the age of 34. He plans to compete in the first half of the season, and will participate, once again, in the Giro d’Italia – where he achieved a top ten place in the General Classification this year. He will then end his road racing career in June, with his favourite race: the Critérium du Dauphiné. Following this, Bardet plans to finish the 2025 season with gravel racing, and intends to compete in the Gravel World Championships in Nice at the end of the year.

Source : L’Équipe

21/06/2024

UAE Team Emirates had announced their team for the 2024 Tour de France at the beginning of the season, the 8 men that will be at the start in Florence have now been officially confirmed.

The main leader will of course be the Slovenian ogre Tadej Pogacar, who will aim for the double Giro-Tour de France, a performance that has not been made since 1998. Pogacar can be considered ad the biggest favourite to be in yellow in Nice, even more following the crash of Vingegaard in Itzulia.

In order to help the winner of the Giro, UAE Team Emirates brought some of the best climbers in the world, riders who could be leaders in almost every other team. Indeed, the recent winner of Tour de Suisse Adam Yates will be in Florence, along with Juan Ayuso and Joao Almeida, three men who could personnaly aim for a top 5.

On the flat portions, there will be a lot of work for Nils Politt and for the recent Belgian ITT champion Tim Wellens, while Marc Soler and Pavel Sivakov will lead the peloton during the climbs.

This team is maybe one of the strongest ever aligned on the Tour de France, with 4 riders who have the capacity of at least finishing in the top 5 in Nice.

Full team: Tadej Pogacar (SLO); Adam Yates (UK); Juan Ayuso (SPA); Joao Almeida (POR); Marc Soler (SPA); Pavel Sivakov (FRA); Nils Politt (GER); Tim Wellens (BEL)

It has just been reported that Anna Van der Breggen – who retired three years ago, at the end of the 2021 season, and has since been working as a Sports Director at SD Worx-Protime – will come out of retirement, and make a return to road racing in 2025.

During her road career, the 34-year-old won many prestigious races, including the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Strade Bianche. She has also won the Giro Donne four times, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège twice. Additionally, in road racing, she is a two-time World Champion, and an Olympic gold medallist. She even has a record number of titles at La Flèche Wallonne, having won it seven times. Even post-retirement, the success didn’t stop – she recently came second in the Traka 100km gravel race, behind another SDWorx-Protime rider, Marie Schreiber.

Now, following a report from the Dutch broadcaster NOS, stating that she's set to make a comeback to road racing next year, Team SDWorx-Protime has made an official announcement, confirming that Van der Breggen has signed on for another two years.

Source: SDWorx-Protime Press Release

20/06/2024

Katie Archibald has unfortunately had to announce that she will not be able to compete in the Olympic Games this summer, after she fell in her garden earlier this week, and picked up a number of injuries – including a double leg break, a dislocated ankle, and ligament damage.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist was planning to compete in three different track cycling disciplines – omnium, madison and team pursuit – however due to her injuries, she has received medical advice that she should focus on recovery, instead of attempting to compete at this year’s Games. This incident therefore comes as a big blow for Team GB, as Archibald would’ve been a strong medal contender in each of the aforementioned disciplines.

Fortunately, however, whilst she will not be able to participate in the Olympics this year, it does seem as though Archibald will be able to make a full recovery from this incident. She underwent surgery on Wednesday, and expects to be discharged from hospital on Thursday, to continue her recovery at home.

The rest of the Olympic cycling team will be confirmed on Monday (24/06/2024) in Birmingham.

Source: Sky Sports

20/06/2024

After much speculation as to who would be chosen for their Tour de France 2024 team, Team Visma-Lease a Bike has finally revealed their plans.

They will be bringing Jonas Vingegaard, the defending two-time Tour de France champion, to lead the team – ending the speculation as to whether or not he would be ready, following his unfortunate crash in Itzulia Basque Country earlier this year. Vingegaard states that he is motivated to ride the Tour, and despite the interruption to his preparation, will try his best to get a good result in the General Classification.

Wout Van Aert will also form part of the team. He too has spent the past few months recovering from injuries – following a crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen – but he was able to recover in time to race the Tour of Norway, and train at altitude with the team. Van Aert was supposed to ride the Giro d’Italia, but wasn’t fully recovered by that point, and so he has now shifted his focus to the Tour. Here, he plans to help Jonas in his General Classification ambitions.

These ‘star riders’ will be accompanied by a full A-team of exceptional riders. Sepp Kuss, the winner of last year’s Vuelta a España, will be there to help Jonas in the mountains, alongside Wilco Kelderman. Matteo Jorgenson has also shown good climbing abilities this year, winning Paris-Nice and coming second in the Criterium du Dauphiné – as well as securing a win in Dwars Door Vlaanderen, which indicates he may be able to search for a stage win. Tiesj Benoot and Jan Tratnik will also be there, as well as Christophe Laporte.

Full team:

Jonas Vingegaard (DEN); Wout Van Aert (BEL); Sepp Kuss (USA); Matteo Jorgenson (USA); Wilco Kelderman (NED); Tiesj Benoot (BEL); Christophe Laporte (FRA); Jan Tratnik (SLO).

The team has also revealed their special jersey, the ‘Renaissance’ jersey. Straying from their usual black-and-yellow bee getup, the team has decided to incorporate shades of dark blue and gold, for a more extravagant, Renaissance era inspired look. Their bikes have also received a makeover – now navy-blue with the signature cervélo in yellow.

Source: Visma-Lease a Bike Press Release

20/06/2024

Team Jayco-AlUla have just announced their roster for the 2024 Tour de France, which will be built around their three stars, and previous Tour de France stage winners: Michael Matthews, Simon Yates, and Dylan Groenewegen. They aim to target stage wins with Matthews and Groenewegen, and an overall podium finish in the general classification with Yates – after he just missed out on third place last year.

Chris Harper will be there to help Yates in the mountain stages, and Elmar Reinders and Luka Mezgec will form part of Groenewegen’s sprint train. Luke Durbridge and Chris Juul-Jensen were also selected, to support Matthews on the stages that suit him.

Full team:

Luke Durbridge (AUS); Dylan Groenewegen (NED); Chris Harper (AUS); Chris Juul-Jensen (DEN); Michael Matthews (AUS); Luka Mezgec (SLO); Elmar Reinders (NED), and Simon Yates (GBR).

Source: Team Jayco-AlUla Press Release

20/06/2024

The official Tour de France X (formerly Twitter) page has just announced the location of the Grand Départ for the 2026 edition of the race: Barcelona.

The Grand Départ locations for the next two editions in 2024 and 2025 have already been announced as Florence and Lille, but it hasn’t been obvious as to which city would follow. It is believed that many cities were interested in hosting the 2026 Grand Départ – including Rotterdam, The Hague, and some cities in the UK – however now we have confirmation that it is Barcelona that has prevailed.

The last time the Tour passed through Barcelona was in 2009 – where the stage was won by Thor Hushovd – but the city has not yet had the opportunity to host the Grand Départ, until now.

The exact route and stage profiles for the 2026 race haven't been revealed, but this announcement confirmed that the opening stages are set to take place from the 4^th-6^th July 2026, in and around Barcelona.

Source: Tour de France X (formerly Twitter) Announcement

18/06/2024

The first team announcement for the 2024 Tour de France has arrived! This year, it is the Vikings of Uno-X Mobility who are the first to announce their riders. Thor Hushovd's team will aim for stages wins, with a very compete collective. They should be active everyday with a lot of presence in the breakaways but also in massive sprints with Alexander Kristoff and Soren Waerenskjold. In the mountains, Tobias Johannessen will be helped by the very young Johannes Kulset, who will be one of the youngest on the roads et 20 years of age.

Full team:

Magnus Cort (DEN); Alexander Kristoff (NOR); Soren Waerenskjold (NOR); Tobias Johannessen (NOR); Jonas Abrahamsen (NOR); Johannes Kulset (NOR); Rasmus Tiller (NOR), Odd Christian Eiking (NOR).

The team also has three reservees with the Norwegians Markus Hoelgaard, Anders Skaarseth and Andreas Leknessund.

Source: UNO-X Mobility website

17/06/2024

It has just been announced that the Ford RideLondon Classique will not be able to take place next year, due to the UCI moving its position on the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar to a date when London is unable to host the event.

Today the UCI released the 2025 UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar, which shows the Ford RideLondon Classique as scheduled to take place a week later than usual (on 30 May-1 June). Usually, the event takes place on the 23-25 May – with road closures and other organisational elements approved years in advance. This change therefore means that the race cannot go ahead, as due to the nature of London, changing the date of this pre-planned event to the new dates at such short notice, is not possible.

Hugh Brasher, Event Director of Ford RideLondon, stated that they were informed of this change on 26 March 2024, but had not been consulted, nor warned, prior to this. Additionally, he added that they had previously been advised by the UCI that there would be no changes to the calendar until 2026. Despite this, the UCI has refused to reverse the decision, nor allow two Women’s WorldTour events to take place on the same weekend (the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas is now scheduled to take place on the usual Ford RideLondon Classique dates). Therefore, the race is now unable to take place.

The Ford RideLondon event will still take place on the usual date, however this will be without the Women’s WorldTour event alongside it.

As described by Brasher, this is a “sad day for professional women’s cycling”. Unless the situation is resolved, this now means that the UK only has one Women’s WorldTour cycling event – the Tour of Britain Women – which luckily only just managed to start up again this year.

Source: Ford RideLondon Press Release

14/06/2024

Next year, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will start for the first time in Western France, with a Grand Départ from Vannes, in Brittany, with a first stage arriving in Plumelec. The peloton will then have to ride between Brest and Quimper before leaving the region on the third stage.

In further great news for the race, there will be an additional stage, with the race starting on Saturday 26th July and finishing on the next Sunday. It is a great addition for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which has been one of the most prestigious races in the calendar since its return in 2022.

This year, the riders will start from Rotterdam in the Netherlands and will finish the race at the top of L'Alpe d'Huez, where Demi Vollering will try to keep her title for SD Worx-Protime.

Source: GCN

13/06/2024

According to L’Equipe, the team Astana-Qazaqstan could be sold to a Chinese businessman at the end of 2025. A deal could be signed for 5 years, until 2030 and the team’s budget could increase significantly, making Alexander Vinokourov’s team the third richest in the peloton.

Astana arrived in the professional peloton in 2006 and has since been one of the most brilliant teams in the world, winning 8 Grands Tours in total with iconic riders such as Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Fabio Aru. In the past few years, Astana’s performances have decreased and the team now risk relegation to the Pro Team level in 2026. If the rumours turned out to be true, the new investors could have to begin this new project at the second tier of World cycling.

Even if nothing is signed yet, this story could be interesting to follow in the next weeks and it could bring some adversity to the biggest teams in the world, with China arriving in the cycling world.

Source: L'Equipe

10/06/2024

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is reportedly set to join Visma Lease-a-Bike in 2025, to race on the road. She is currently the only female professional cyclist signed to INEOS Grenadiers, and has been with them since 2023, as part of their Mountain Bike team.

The Frenchwoman is known for her multidisciplinary talent, having had a successful career on the road, in cyclocross and in mountain biking – the latter of which having been her priority in recent years. However, she recently announced her wish to make a return to road racing, just over a decade since she won the World Championships Road Race. She has stated her intention to retire from mountain biking at the end of 2024 to focus on the road - following the Olympic Games, where she will attempt to become an Olympic medallist in mountain biking for the first time, in her home country.

However, to pursue a road career, it appears she will have to depart from INEOS Grenadiers – who are yet to start a full women’s road racing team – and the team of Visma Lease-a-Bike seems perfectly poised to welcome her. The Dutch team is already home to a few multidisciplinary riders – such as Fem van Empel and Ferrand-Prévot’s former teammate Marianne Vos – and invests in supporting their careers on the road. Additionally, Ferrand-Prévot has expressed her desire to take part in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and Visma Lease-a-Bike are currently looking for a rider suited to being their leader in that type of race. It therefore seems to be a perfect match.

Whilst the deal has not yet been announced, Wielerflits reports that Ferrand-Prévot will sign a three-year contract with Visma Lease-a-Bike, ending in 2027, and more information will surely follow.

Sources: GCN, Wielerflits

10/06/2024

Lidl-Trek’s team manager, Luca Guercilena, has confirmed that Elisa Longo Borghini will leave the team once her contract expires at the end of 2024.

Longo Borghini has ridden for the team for six years – since 2019 – and during this time, has won many prestigious races, and shown herself to be one of the best riders in the women’s peloton. She has won the general classification at stage races – such as the UAE Tour and Women’s Tour – stages in the Giro d’Italia, and many top-level one-day races – such as Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix.

Guercilena praised her talents and the great results that she was able to achieve with the team, and also stated that the team had wanted to retain her, but he ultimately wished her “all the best for the coming seasons".

No official announcement has yet been made regarding her next destination, but GCN has reported rumours that suggest that Longo Borghini is set to move to UAE Team ADQ for 2025.

Source: CyclingNews, GCN

03/06/2024

Alpecin-Deceuninck has just released the summer race programmes for their star riders, Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu Van der Poel.

Philipsen will start racing again – following his last race at Paris-Roubaix, where he came second for the second year in a row – on 12/06/2024, at the Baloise Belgium Tour. He will then attend the Belgian Championships on 23/06/2024, and finish off his summer campaign with the Tour de France, which begins on 29/06/2024. It is expected that he will be aiming to win multiple sprint stages (and ultimately, the green ‘points’ jersey) again this year.

Van der Poel will be there to help him achieve this goal, as he too is planning to race the Tour de France. It is expected that he will be there mainly as a leadout rider for Philipsen, as he was last year. Apart from the Tour, he will also be competing in the Olympic Games. Although, he has, somewhat surprisingly, decided to only race the Road Race, on 03/08/2024. It was expected that he would also compete in the Mountain Bike category – after having announced his ambition to do so in the past – however he has not properly competed in a MTB race for a long time, and during his most recent attempts, he crashed out, resulting in DNFs. It therefore appears now that he will go all-in for the Road Race, where he likely has a better chance of success.

Source: Alpecin-Deceuninck X (formerly known as Twitter) Post

15/05/2024

Team Visma Lease-a-Bike have recently released a positive update on the recovery of Jonas Vingegaard, after he was unfortunately injured in a crash earlier this season in stage three of Itzulia Basque Country. He was one of those most affected by the crash - suffering a fractured collarbone, as well as fractured ribs, and a pneumothorax - and had to spend 12 days in hospital before travelling home. However, it appears that his recovery has been going well.

In a video shared by the team, Vingegaard is shown to be back training outdoors on his bike, and states that he is now able to “ride like normal again”. He believes that despite there being a few lingering issues, his injuries are “improving day by day”, and hopes to be able to start the Tour de France, as planned.

It is still not guaranteed that he will be sufficiently recovered and prepared for the Tour, however he states that he “will do everything [he] can to get there”.

Source: Team Visma Lease-a-Bike Video

07/05/2024

Bahrain-Victorious announced this morning the extension of the contract of Antonio Tiberi until 2027.

The Italian rider joined the team in June of last year, after being dismissed by his former team Trek-Segafredo for shooting a cat in San Marino. This year, Tiberi has had a great start of the season with an 8th place in the general classification of Vuelta Catalunya and a podium on the roads of the Tour of the Alps. His main goal is now the Giro, where he will be the leader of his team with the objective of finishing among the top 10 and maybe bringing the white jersey home.

The young rider is now linked with Bahrain-Victorious for 3 more years, until 2027, and is confident for the future. "I’m confident that my results will keep getting better, of course, but to be honest I’m just super happy".

Source: Bahrain-Victorious team statement

04/05/2024

Luke Rowe has announced that he will retire from professional road cycling at the end of the 2024 season – a year earlier than initially planned.

Rowe began his professional career with Team Sky Procycling (now known as INEOS Grenadiers) in 2012, and has remained with the team ever since. During this time, he has proven himself to be an invaluable teammate, having ridden the Tour de France for eight consecutive years, and been Road Captain for three different Tour de France winners: Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal. John Allert, CEO of INEOS Grenadiers, has praised not only his racing ability, but also his personality off the bike, as a “willing mentor” to the younger riders.

In a press release issued by the team, Rowe stated that his desire to retire is motivated by a longing to spend more time at home in Wales with his family. He also discussed the struggles he has faced following his latest crash at this year’s E3 Saxo Classic, and the resulting injuries, revealing that he feels as though “now is the right time to bow out”. He specifically thanked his family and friends, as well as everyone in the INEOS Grenadiers team, for all the support he has received over the years.

It is now expected that he will focus on making a full recovery from his injuries in an attempt to be able to race again before the end of the season. In particular, he is targeting the Tour of Britain as his “dream race to end on”, so that he can end his career in front of the home fans.

Source: INEOS Grenadiers Press Release

03/05/2024

The German rider Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) has been allowed to leave the hospital of Tenerife and to come back home.

Lennard Kamna suffered from a terrible crash involving a car during a training camp in Tenerife on the 3rd of April and was kept in the hospital for weeks. The 27-years-old had numerous injuries but is now strong enough to go back in Hamburg, where he will be treated by the doctors of his team. In Bora-Hansgrohe statement, Kamna said :"I will start my rehab there and I am highly motivated to get back on the bike as soon as possible. But the most important thing is to get healthy again."

Source: Bora-Hansgrohe team statement

01/05/2024

Israel-Premier Tech's rider Rick Zabel has announced that he will end his professional career on the 26th of May, after Rund Um Koln.

Rick Zabel was in the professional peloton since 2014, when he joined BMC, where he won a stage in the Tour of Austria 2015. He then went to Katusha-Alpecin, spending 3 years and winning a stage of the Tour of Yorskhire with the Swiss team. In 2020, he joined Israel-Premier Tech, where he spent the last 4.5 seasons. Zabel explained on his social medias that "For me, it's time to move on. I am happy with my decision and I'm looking forward to all the new adventures and challenges that are yet to come."

We wish all the best to the German rider for the next chapters of his life.

Source: Israel-Premier Tech team statement

01/05/2024

The organisers of the Giro d’Italia have finally released the official startlist for the first Grand Tour of the year, and it is packed with big names, and reveals some interesting team selections. All 18 WorldTour teams are set to participate, and the race wild cards have been granted to Tudor Pro Cycling, Team Polti Kometa, and VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè.

The main favourites for the general classification, are: Tadej Pogačar (Team UAE Emirates), Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), and Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). However, it is also expected that Geraint Thomas and Thymen Arensman could perform well for their team, INEOS Grenadiers, and there is potential for the young Uijtdebroeks to score a podium place with his new team, Visma Lease-a-Bike.

Additionally, the race will likely feature lots of exciting sprinting action, with the likes of Olav Kooij (Visma Lease-a-Bike), Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Fabio Jakobsen (DSM-Firmenich Post NL), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe), and Caleb Ewan (Jayco-AlUla) all competing, alongside others.

Some other big names lining up at the start, are Christophe Laporte (Visma Lease-a-Bike) – replacing Wout Van Aert, following his unfortunate crash in Dwars Door Vlaanderen earlier this year – Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step), Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ), Jan Tratnik and Attila Valter (both Visma Lease-a-Bike).

The Giro d’Italia begins on 04/05/2024 in Venaria Reale, and lasts until the final stage in Rome on 26/05/2024.

To read more, see the Giro d’Italia Starlist Preview in our site's 'Race Reports' section.

25/04/2024

UAE Team Emirates have announced that Isaac Del Toro will ride for them until at least 2029, extending his contract of 3 years.

Isaac Del Toro is maybe one of the best future prospects in cycling. He has been impressive since the start of the season, his first at a professional level. He won his first pro win in January, on the road of the Santos Tour Down Under and has since been extremely important for his leaders.

The Mexican rider already had a contract until 2026 with his team but this length has just been extended for 3 more years, making him one of the riders with the longest contract in the cycling world.

Source: UAE Team Emirates

23/04/2024

SDWorx-Protime have announced that Lorena Wiebes has signed a 3-year contract extension to stay with the team until 2028.

Wiebes, known for being one of the best sprinters on the Women’s WorldTour, joined the team in 2023 and since then, has continued to add to her already impressive palmarès. So far this season, she has already won six races – including Ronde van Drenthe, Gent-Wevelgem, and two stages in the UAE Tour.

When discussing the reason for her decision to stay with the team, Wiebes stated that despite only having been at the team for a year, she feels "completely at home”, and believes that the team can provide the right environment for her to continue improving over the next few years. She also mentioned the World Champion, Lotte Kopecky, revealing that her contract extension encouraged her to extend too, as she believes that the two work well together.

At the same time, the team also revealed that they have extended their contracts with their main sponsors, SDWorx and Protime, until 2028. The team manager, Erwin Janssen stated that “together with SD Worx and Protime, we have already built up something very beautiful in recent years”, and that the two companies support the team’s “ambition to continue to be the number one team in the world in the coming years.”

Janssens also celebrated the growth of women’s cycling as a sport, and the potential for further growth in the future with the support of dedicated sponsors.

Source: SDWorx-Protime Press Release on Lorena Wiebes, SDWorx-Protime Press Release on their title sponsors

23/04/2024

It is one of the biggest revelations of early 2024, Joseph Blackmore, 21 years old, has signed a contract with Israel Premier-Tech for the next two years.

The British rider is riding with the Continental team of Israel-Premier Tech but has already taken part on races with the ProTeam, with great success. Indeed, Blackmore won the general classifications of the Tour of Rwanda and Tour of Taiwan but has also finished fourth of De Brabantse Pijl. With the Conti team Israel-Premier Tech Academy, the young rider also won the Circuit des Ardennes and Liège-Bastogne-Liège U23. In 19 racedays this season, Joseph "Joe" Blackmore finished 15 times in the top 10, showing a great regularity.

With this signing, Israel-Premier Tech shows its ambitions of climbing back into the World Tour level in 2026 and invests in the future with a rider that could be a generational talent.

Source: Israel-Premier Tech post on X

16/04/2024

Visma-Lease a Bike's leader Jonas Vingegaard has left the hospital where he was staying in Basque Country and will now come back home.

The Danish rider, winner of the last two Tour de France, had been kept inside the hospital for 12 days after his crash on the road of the fourth stage of Itzulia Basque Country. He suffered from fractured ribs, fractured collarbone and a pneumothorax, which prevented him from travelling by plane.

Vingegaard will now come back home, to his family, to recover among the ones he loves. The duration of his absence from racing is not known yet, his objective for now is to "fully recover again".

Source: Visma-Lease a Bike post on X (formerly Twitter)

16/04/2024

SDWorx-Protime’s Anna Shackley is retiring from professional sports following a diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmia in January.

Shackley joined the team in 2021, and has since proven to be a promising talent, having already achieved impressive results at several prestigious stage races aged just 22 – including 4^th place in the general classification at the UAE Tour. Danny Stam, the sports manager at SDWorx-Protime believes she is “one of the bigger talents in the women's peloton” and had the potential to grow to be the very best.

Following her diagnosis, she had to take a break from training and competing this season, and was working with the SDWorx-Protime medical team to investigate the issue. Unfortunately, after receiving the latest test results, Shackley and the team decided that it would no longer be possible for her to continue with professional sport.

She is now planning to return to ‘normal’ life, and the team have vowed to support her in this transition.

Source: Team SDWorx-Protime post on X (formerly Twitter)

16/04/2024

After much uncertainty surrounding whether or not the Tour of Britain would be able to continue – with the women’s race being cancelled in 2023, due to insufficient funds to hold it, and the men’s race exposing significant financial troubles faced by the race organiser SweetSpot – it has now been officially announced that the race will continue in 2024, with both men’s and women’s races.

In February, British Cycling took over the organisation of the event from the previous organiser and declared their commitment to ensuring that the races could continue, and now, in April, they have officially confirmed that the race will take place.

The women’s race will take place from the 6^th-9^th of June, and will pass through Welshpool, Llandudno, Wrexham, Warrington, and Greater Manchester.

The men’s race will take place from the 3^rd-8^th September, with the routes yet to be announced.

This announcement is an incredibly positive development, all down to the hard work that British Cycling has put in over the past few months. It is expected that more information will follow in due course.

Source: Tour of Britain X (formerly Twitter) posts

15/04/2024

Mikkel Bjerg and Tim Wellens have both extended their contracts with UAE Team Emirates.

Bjerg, who joined the team in 2020, has extended his contract for three more years, until 2027. With the team, he has achieved great results, including a stage win in the Criterium du Dauphiné, and in this season he took fourth place at the Ronde van Vlaanderen – his best Monument result so far. In the team’s press announcement, he named the team “the best squad in the world”, and emphasised the growth and improvements he has been able to make as part of the team. He believes that UAE Team Emirates is “the right place” for him to be long-term.

Wellens has also extended his contract, albeit for just one more year, until the end of the 2025 season. Since joining the team in 2023, he has performed well, and has already started strong this year, coming second at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, third at Brabantse Pijl and fourth at the E3 Saxo Classic. Wellens stated that he really values the opportunity to be surrounded by the best riders and staff, and that within the team he has been able to “find a good balance between personal ambitions and helping [his] teammates”.

Source: UAE Team Emirates Press Release

13/04/2024

Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) will not ride on the Italian roads in May, due to his crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen.

The Belgian rider broke multiples bones during his terrible crash on the 27th of March. In a video posted by his team, Van Aert says that "a lot of injuries are quite good at the moment" but also that he can not train due to his broken ribs and that he will not be able to start the Giro.

It is a painful news for Van Aert because the Giro was the second main objective of his season, after the Flandrian classics. His team suffered another loss for the first Grand Tour of the season a few days ago with the withdrawal of Wilco Keldermann who has not yet recovered from his crash in the last stage of Paris-Nice. The two riders will be replaced by Christophe Laporte and Koen Bouwman.

Source : Visma-Lease a Bike's social media

11/04/2024

It has been a source of many discussions among the fans, Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) may already have signed a contract with Bahrain-Victorious for the 2025 season. The young Frenchman is depicted as one of the future stars of our sport and with his contract coming to an end, he is attractive to several teams.

This year, Lenny Martinez has already showed the extent of his talent by winning the Classic Var, the Trofeo Laigueglia and the youth classification of the Volta Catalunya.

According to RMC Sports, this change of team would lead to a substantial increase in salary for Martinez, with a salary of €2.5 million over 3 years.

This loss is a real blow for Groupama-FDJ, even more after the announced departure of Laurence Pithie for Bora-Hansgrohe. The general manager Marc Madiot will now hope to re-sign Romain Grégoire, who will also be out of contract at the end of the year.

Source : RMC Sports

It is believed that Laurence Pithie, who currently rides for Groupama-FDJ, will ride for Bora-Hansgrohe in 2025. So far this year, Pithie has been having a spectacular season, winning the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, and achieving great results at many races – including Paris-Nice, Milano-Sanremo, and Le Samyn. He has therefore attracted the attention of several WorldTour teams, who were all interested in signing him.

Pithie has been at Groupama-FDJ for three years since joining their development team in 2021, and being promoted to the WorldTour team in 2023. However it seems as though the 21-year-old is now looking for something new, as GCN reports that he was successfully approached by Bora-Hansgrohe, just before Milan-Sanremo.

It is expected that Pithie will play a role in bolstering Bora-Hansgrohe’s classics team, alongside the likes of Matteo Sobrero, Jordi Meeus and Nico Denz.

Source: GCN

05/04/2024

This year’s Paris-Roubaix route has been altered, with a sharp hairpin turn added just before the entry to the Trouée d’Arenberg. The official Paris-Roubaix X (formerly Twitter) account issued a statement to this effect yesterday, and revealed that this change was requested by the Cyclistes Professionels Associés (CPA) union. The organisers cite a desire to slow the speed at which the riders enter the cobbled sector and avoid crashes on the cobbles, as the reason for the decision.

The announcement proved to be rather controversial, however. Many fans felt that changing the iconic entrance to the Arenberg would make the race less enjoyable to watch, whilst others felt that the change might even make the race even less safe. Additionally, the defending champion of the race, Mathieu Van der Poel, retweeted a video explaining the planned change, saying “is this a joke?”

Yet despite the many opinions shared on social media, it seems as though this change was voted for by the riders. According to Cycling Weekly, initially, three options were considered. Unfortunately, the favoured option – a route leading the riders through the roads of the Wallers-Arenberg mining museum, before reaching the Arenberg – was not possible to implement this year, and therefore the choice was between the usual route, or an added ‘chicane’. Adam Hansen maintains that after he contacted the riders set to ride this year’s race, the majority of the riders preferred the ‘chicane’ option.

Some riders have even come out publicly in support of the change, with Matteo Jorgenson (Visma Lease-a-Bike) suggesting in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that it is better for the riders to crash on pavement, than on “sharp rocks in a forest”.

It is possible that by next year, the third ‘preferred’ option, will be implemented, but until then, we hope that the addition of the ‘chicane’, does in fact help to make the race safer, and that this year’s race goes as smoothly as possible.

Sources: Cycling Weekly, X (formerly Twitter) posts from Adam Hansen, Paris-Roubaix, Jorgenson and Van der Poel

04/04/2024

Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe) has suffered from injuries following a traffic incident while training in Tenerife. The German rider has been taken to the hospital in order to be examined. Let's hope that it's not too serious and that Kämna will be able to come back on the bike very soon, in order to prepare for the Tour de France, in which he is supposed to take part.

Source : Bora-Hansgrohe's post on their social media

03/04/2024

News has just broken that Merijn Zeeman – who has worked for Team Visma Lease a Bike since 2012, and been the Sports Director since 2017 – is leaving the team at the end of the 2024 season. He leaves in order to join the Dutch football club, AZ Alkmaar, as their Sports Director.

After having helped the CEO, Richard Plugge, to build Team Visma Lease a Bike from the ground up to what it is today – a team that has made history and achieved so much in recent years, and now arguably stands as the best in the WorldTour – Zeeman states that he has made the decision to move on because he is looking for “new challenges and stimuli”.

Richard Plugge himself sung Zeeman’s praises in a statement issued by the team this afternoon, saying that Zeeman “has been of inestimable value with his vision and leadership qualities”, and that the team is “enormously grateful to him”, despite their sadness at hearing the news.

It is unclear who will move into Zeeman’s role for 2025. In his statement, Plugge hinted that the decision will be made in the coming months, and that in their search for a replacement, they will start by looking internally.

Source: Statement from Visma Lease a Bike

03/04/2024

Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) had to withdraw from the end of the Classics due to extreme fatigue. The Frenchman was expected on the roads of the Hell of the North, one of his favourite races. Démare's return will be announced later on by his team, his priority his now to rest and recover to come back stronger.

Source : Arkéa-B&B Hotels social media

Unfortunately, a lot of riders were affected by a massive fall during Dwars door Vlaanderen. For some, the dreams of performing in the end of the classics season is over.

According to Visma-Lease a Bike team statement, Wout Van Aert is one of the most injured after the crash that happened 67km from the finish line. “A broken collarbone and several broken ribs were diagnosed in hospital.” Van Aert won’t be able to compete in Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix, his two main objectives of the Classics season. Visma-Lease a bike infirmary is really full at the moment because in addition to Van Aert’s injuries, Jan Tratnik also had to DNF today’s race, because of sickness. Christophe Laporte and Dylan van Baarle also forfeit the Ronde due to illness; the “bees” will face a lack of riders in their Classics team for the end of the spring.

Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) also suffers from a broken collarbone which means he will miss his next big objectives. His teammate Mads Pedersen suffered only from minor abrasions, allowing him to the possibility of starting at Flanders Sunday morning. Biniam Girmay and Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty) could also maybe be part of the Ronde van Vlaanderen in four days, as their team mentions the absence of fractures in a post on their social medias.

Unfortunately, Michele Gazzoli (Astana Qazaqstan) wasn’t as lucky and his team mentions the “fractures of three ribs.”

We wish a good and fast recovery to all the riders involved in the crash today.

27/03/2024

Adam Hansen, former professional cyclist and President of the Cyclistes Professionels Associés (CPA), has revealed on X (formerly Twitter), that they have asked the Giro d'Italia to provide "neutral rain jackets or warmer jackets, for riders that are caught out, due to extreme weather at the Giro on difficult stages".

This suggestion comes as the unpredictable weather in Italy in May (especially in the mountains of northern Italy) can lead to the riders being ‘caught out’ in unpleasant conditions without a jacket. Usually, riders would have to wait until their team car can come to them, but, as pointed out by Hansen, this can be difficult when multiple riders need jackets, and the peloton is split into groups.

Hansen’s idea would therefore allow the riders to have quicker/easier access to a jacket if necessary, and he believes that this would help to reduce the possibility of riders falling ill due to the cold weather, spreading illnesses to other riders/team staff, and having to abandon the race.

Whilst the suggestion was controversial to some, many online have agreed with his proposal, with Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale rider Larry Warbasse calling it "such a good idea", and Lotto Dstny rider Thomas De Gendt responding to Hansen’s post, agreeing that currently it is too difficult for riders to have access to their jackets mid-race.

It remains to be seen whether this suggestion will be adopted by the race organisers, but it appears as though it could be very beneficial for the riders, if they do decide to put this into practice.

Source: Adam Hansen's post on X

27/03/2024

After four seasons with the team, Demi Vollering will leave SD-Worx Protime at the end of the 2024 season.

The sports manager of SD-Worx Protime, Danny Stam, confirmed that Vollering would be leaving the team, in an interview before the start of Dwars Door Vlaanderen, and the team issued the following statement from the team manager, Erwin Janssen on X (formerly Twitter) shortly afterwards:

“We made Demi Vollering a generous offer and indicated that this should be responded to before a certain date. Vollering's management did not respond to this. Therefore, we assume that Vollering will leave the team at the end of the year. The report in the media that we recently sat down with Demi or her management is not true.”

Vollering joined the team in 2021 and has since become one of the team’s star riders, alongside Lotte Kopecky. With the team, she has been incredibly dominant, especially in the World Tour stage races, and has also won Strade Bianche, Dwars Door Vlaanderen, the Ardennes triple – Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (the latter of which, she has won twice) – and the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift, to name a few.

However, it seems that having two superstars on the team has become unsustainable for SD-Worx Protime, with Stam stating that "it’s about budget," and that the team “can’t have two riders from that level”. Therefore, it seems that after Kopecky extended her contract with the team through to 2028, keeping Vollering was no longer an option.

It is not yet known which team Vollering will ride for in 2025.

Source: GCN, Statement from SD-Worx Protime

27/03/2024

Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale have announced in a statement the dismissal of Franck Bonnamour, following his violation of anti-doping rules. The French rider spoke on his social medias and denies the charges against him. "With the help of my lawyers and scientists, we are working on my defence. I've always been an honest, straightforward and clean rider, so I can't be accused of cheating."

Sources : Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale and Franck Bonnamour's social medias

Lotto-Dstny has announced the forfeit of Arnaud De Lie for the end of the classics campaign.

The young Belgian has had a difficult start of the season, in part because of his fall on the roads of Le Samyn, that forced him to withdraw from Paris-Nice before the fourth stage. De Lie will now observe a resting period before focusing on the second part of the season and on his main objective: Le Tour de France.

Source: Lotto-Dstny

26/03/2024

Lotto-Dstny has announced contract extensions for Maxim Van Gils and Lennert Van Eetvelt until 2026.

The Belgian team, which already extended Arnaud De Lie's contract until the same year, is doing a great work in renewing their young stars and is building a very strong team for the future.

Van Eetvelt and Van Gils have already shone this season, the former winning the queen stage and the general classification of the UAE Tour and the latter finishing third at Strade Bianche and seventh in Milan-Sanremo. The two young Belgians could help Lotto-Dstny to return to the World Tour level and continue to shine in big races. As Van Gils said: "Lotto-Dstny feels like a second home" so hopefully for them, the future can be bright under the red and blue colours.

Sources : Lotto-Dstny social media

19/03/2024

The current double World Champion (in road racing and cyclocross), Mathieu Van der Poel, has signed a five-year contract to continue with his team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, through to 2028.

Van der Poel has been racing for the team for his entire professional career since he joined the team in 2011, at the age of 13. He has since become the cyclocross World Champion six times, and became the current road racing World Champion in 2023. Additionally, he has won stages at the Tour de France and Giro D’Italia, and many prestigious one-day races, such as Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix and Milano-Sanremo.

The cycling star believes that Alpecin-Deceuninck is the “perfect team” for him to continue with, and describes re-signing as a “logical choice”, especially due to the team’s investment in multiple cycling disciplines – something particularly important to Van der Poel, as he competes in road racing, cyclocross, and mountain bike racing.

Van der Poel has also signed a 10-year sponsorship deal with the bicycle manufacturer, Canyon, whom he has been sponsored by since 2017. The first five years will be in his capacity as a rider, and the latter five will be as an ambassador, should he retire from professional cycling after his contract with Alpecin-Deceuninck ends in 2028.

Sources: Eurosport, Canyon

19/03/2024

Veteran track cyclist Dame Laura Kenny has announced that following an incredible 16-year career she will retire from the sport that saw her ride to numerous titles and medals across national, European and World Championships, along with Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

Kenny had taken a career break following the birth of her and husband Jason Kenny's first child, but she returned with a bang to take gold in the madison alongside Katie Archibald in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Source: British Cycling

18/03/2024

The former head of cycling at INEOS Grenadiers, Rod Ellingworth, was yesterday appointed by British Cycling as race director for both the men’s and women’s editions of the Tour of Britain in 2024. He was announced alongside a team that would support Ellingworth in delivering the races in 2024. Further details are expected soon.

the 4-time Tour de France champion fractured his scaphoid at Tirreno-Adriatico and was forced to retire – he does not require surgery however and should be able to race by the end of the month.

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL's sprint star Charlotte Kool will miss the UAE Women's Tour and the first of the tantalising early season battles with rival Lorena Wiebes due to illness, the rider reported yesterday.

Kool was not the only rider to report of a delay to starting their season yesterday. FDJ-SUEZ announced that Marta Cavalli had suffered an injury during training, and Lidl-Trek reported a delay to the opening of Giulio Ciccone's 2024 campaign due to a cyst removal operation that will keep him off the bike for an extended period of time.

Sending best wishes to all the riders affected.

Source: Team/rider social media

06/02/2024

Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale rider Franck Bonnamour has been suspended by the UCI following the discovery of anomalies in his biological passport.

The biological passport system was introduced in 2008 and is mandatory for all riders with World Tour and Pro teams. It collates the results of rider blood and urine tests along with a a haematological profile and a steroid profile.

There is no further information available at this time - the UCI's statement reads: 'The UCI will not comment further while the proceedings are ongoing.'

Source: UCI

05/02/2024

Tragedy struck at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana on Saturday, as an amateur cyclist lost their life near the finish of the originally planned route, which began in Teulada and was due to finish in Vall d'Ebo.

Following the incident, the race was shortened by around 15km, with the finish moved forward to the summit of the Alto de Miserat. The podium celebrations and presentations were postponed as a mark of respect. No further information is currently available regarding the victim, but our thoughts go out to their family and friends.

Source: Discovery+ commentary

03/02/2024

British Cycling have this week announced their ambition to ensure that both a men's and a women's Tour of Britain run in 2024.

The future of the race was in doubt following the split with race organiser SweetSpot and the company's subsequent liquidation; last week the UCI removed the races from their official calendar, which seemed to add to the certainty that they would not be able to proceed. However, British Cycling's report, which states their commitment to multiple cycling disciplines, suggests they are hopeful of being able to secure the necessary sponsorship and broadcast partnerships to be able to run the races in their usual calendar spots.

The report also details the organisation's intention to pursue the possibility of hosting UCI World Cup events in both cross country mountain biking and cyclocross.

Source: British Cycling

02/02/2024

German veteran rider John Degenkolb has announced a contract extension with Team dsm-firmenich PostNL which will see him remain with the team until 'at least' the end of 2025.

The 35-year-old showed that he was back to his best in 2023, featuring in the lead group at Paris-Roubaix before crashing out in the late stages. He opens his season this week at the Alula Tour.

Source: rider Facebook

29/01/2024

The proposed new partnership between Red Bull and the German World Tour team has officially been cleared by the Austrian antitrust authority and can now be implemented as planned.

BORA manager Ralph Denk said: "With today's decision, we have cleared an important hurdle. The foundations of our partnership with Red Bull are now officially in place."

More news as it develops.

Source: BORA hansgrohe social media

29/01/2024

British multi-discipline talent Zoe Backstedt announced her partnership with Red Bull this week. The lucrative sponsorship, which will see the 19-year-old sporting the iconic Red Bull helmet, is one of just a handful in cycling - other sponsored athletes include Wout van Aert and Primoz Roglič.

Backstedt, who rides for Canyon//SRAM, will take on the U23 Cyclocross World Championships on Sunday 3 February, where she will attempt to go one better than her silver medal in 2023.

Source: rider social media

25/01/2024

Veteran Welsh rider and former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas has confirmed that like Tadej Pogačar, he too will target the GC at both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 2024.

The Ineos Grenadiers man will begin his season at the Volta ao Algarve in February on his build up to the Giro, and will attempt to peak twice, before his goal of riding for Team GB at the Paris Olympic Games in the summer. He confirmed that team boss Dave Brailsford made the final call over his double Grand Tour participation.

Source: GCN

24/01/2024

The American rider, who won a stage of the Giro d'Italia in 2021, announced his retirement from the professional sport yesterday. He rode with Astana-Qazaqstan last season but left the team after his contract expired, and he had said earlier this month that he was still looking for a team.

He wrote a lengthy post on social media reflecting on his career, which is well worth a read.

Source: Joe Dombrowski Twitter

23/01/2024

SD Worx' Lotte Kopecky has confirmed that she will ride Liège–Bastogne–Liège for the first time, as part of her spring Classics campaign.

The World Champion discussed her early season plans in an interview with Sporza, before confirming that she was not yet sure which Grand Tours she would ride, as she would not make plans until after Classics season.

Kopecky stated 'these are competitions that used to be too tough for me and are now starting to be within my capabilities.' The versatile rider proved her climbing ability was on the up last summer at the Tour de France Femmes, where she put in a strong performance on the Col du Tourmalet.

It could prove problematic for Team SD Worx to keep the peace between their leaders, as with Demi Vollering in the side, an Ardennes classics specialist who has already won in Liège twice, there may be further cases of leadership battles like that which we saw at Strade Bianche in 2023. The team have since confirmed that Kopecky and Vollering with be co-leaders at three races - Strade Bianche, Gent-Wevelgem and Liège.

Source: Sporza

23/01/2024

Giro d'Italia organisers RCS revealed the names of the teams afforded wildcard entries into the 2024 edition of the race, this morning.

Israel-Premier Tech qualify automatically; Lotto-DSTNY opt out of their automatic place. This leaves three places which have been awarded to: Tudor Pro Cycling, Team Polti Kometa, and VF Group–Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè.

Source: RCS

23/01/2024

Scandinavian pro continental team Uno-X have appointed ten-time Tour de France stage winner and former World Champion Thor Hushovd as a new general manager of the team.

Norwegian Hushovd, now 46, was a powerhouse sprinter in the 2010s and brings a wealth of experience to the team. He steps into the shoes of founder Jens Haugland, who will remain a member of the board.

Source: Uno-X

23/01/2024

The latest team to launch their own women's programme is Astana-Qazaqstan, who yesterday launched the Astana Dewi women's continental team, in partnership with Dewi Cycling. The team is expected to offer opportunities to young and developing cyclists from Asia, and announced a roster of eight riders for 2024.

Source: Astana-Qazaqstan team

22/01/2024

The bleak state of the British domestic racing scene took a further turn for the worse this week as race organiser Sweetspot, previously responsible for delivering both the Women's Tour and the Tour of Britain along with a number of other races, went into voluntary liquidation, with unpaid debt likely totalling over £1million.

It's a grim blow for the UK racing scene which is already struggling due to the loss of teams and races, and despite British Cycling's commitment to ensure the men's Tour of Britain does take place in 2024, it appears there is no way back for the Women's Tour, which did not run in 2023 either due to a lack of funding.

Source: Jeremy Whittle, The Guardian

18/01/2024

Tour de France organisers ASO have today announced the wildcards for this year's edition of the race, alongside those selected for their other flagship stages races, Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné.

While Lotto-DSTY and Israel-Premier Tech take the first two wildcards automatically for all three, given their positions as the top two UCI Pro Teams in 2023, the remaining two spots for each race have been divided between four teams.

Uno-X and TotalEnergies get the nod for the Tour de France. Uno-X will ride there for the second consecutive year following their debut in 2023, and TotalEnergies receive the other spot as the most successful of the French Pro Teams. They also take a space at Paris-Nice, with the final wildcard slot in the spring race going to Tudor Pro Cycling. The Dauphiné sees Uno-X and Q36.5 Pro Cycling take up the two available spots.

Source: race social media

18/01/2023

Veteran Norwegian rider Edvald Boassen Hagen, who was without a contract for 2024, has just signed for Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale for 2024. It's a relief for fans of the seasoned pro who rides his 16th season as part of the World Tour peloton for the French side.

The 36-year-old has won three stages of the Tour de France, a race he has ridden 13 times, and was a long-time member of Team Sky.

Source: Team social media

15/01/2024

Belgian track and road cycling Shari Bossuyt has confirmed that she will not appeal the decision of the AFLD’s proposal to suspend her for two years following a doping allegation. Bossuyt denies the allegation but will not appeal as she does not have the ‘strength or money’ to fight what she describes as a ‘losing battle.’ She will subsequently be unable to pursue her goal to ride in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Bossuyt rode the madison with Lotte Kopecky up until the point of her suspension.

Source: Rider social media

11/01/24

Soudal-QuickStep's Remco Evenepoel will ride the 2024 edition of the Tour de France, the rider himself confirmed today. It sets up the much-anticipated four-way battle between arguably the world's four top GC riders - defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, two-time champion Tadej Pogačar, three-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič, and the Belgian national road champion, World ITT champion and 2022 Vuelta winner Evenepoel.

Evenepoel rode two Grand Tours in 2022, the Giro and the Vuelta. He was forced to withdraw from the Giro after contracting covid, and finished 12 on the Vuelta GC after a bad day saw him lose a raft of time on the Tourmalet. He won three stages and the KOM jersey, however.

Source: Remco Evenepoel social media

09/01/2023

After a couple of weeks away, there's plenty of headlines from the world of bike racing to bring you up to date with. Here are just a few of the main stories.

• Road racing is back - Australia has kicked off the cycling season with their national championships in Ballarat and Buyingong, crowning Lucas Plapp and Ruby Roseman-Gannon the new road race champions, with Plapp also taking the individual time trial honours a few days earlier along with Grace Brown for the women. The Santos Tour Down Under begins this Friday for the women, and next Tuesday (16th) for the men.
• Cian Uijtdebroeks chaos concludes - after a couple of weeks of drama and uncertainty, the Belgian 21-year-old was confirmed as a Visma-Lease A Bike rider for 2024.
• New kits revealed - we have pretty much a full complement of new kits for the 2024 season to review following a few late additions, including the show-stopping EF kit which is eye-catching as always, and in particular the national champions jerseys - every one a fantastic kit - check them out.
• Red Bull set to take over BORA hansgrohe - the energy drink company, who already have stakes in a number of sports teams not mention being a key sponsor to many elite athletes across sports - have put in a bid to buy out 51% of the German team, thus becoming the majority shareholder and lead sponsor of the team. It is yet to be confirmed but looks like to go ahead.
• STAY TUNED FOR MORE... this news page is back up and running and will be updated regularly with the top stories from across the world of bike racing, so bookmark it, add it to your home screen, and check in for all the latest updates.

09/01/2024