Unsurprisingly, mostly Giro news this week.
Pog has been something, hasn’t he? His win on the Queen Stage was absolutely nuts. Just mindblowing to be able to drop his nearest competitors with 15 minutes to go, like he was just riding along whilst they were at their limits. Crazy.
It’s such a shame Jonas isn’t there though. That, I think, would have made it closer. And there’s still a chance he won’t be at the Tour, either.
As always you can see last week’s post by clicking here.
Otherwise, let’s dive right in on to the Pog show!
Giro d’Italia 2024 Prize Pot
The 2024 Giro d’Italia prize pot has increased slightly to €1.6 million from last year’s €1.5 million.
The overall winner of the maglia rosa will pocket around €265,000.
Prize money is distributed among various classifications, including sprinters, climbers, and young riders.
Daily stage winners and jersey holders also receive cash prizes.
Notably, the prize money is usually split among team members.
Read in full at Cyclist.co.uk.
Pogačar’s Giro Domination
UAE Team Emirates’ boss Joxean Fernández Matxin defended Tadej Pogačar’s relentless tactics at the Giro d’Italia.
Pogačar secured five stage wins and maintained a significant lead, drawing comparisons to legends like Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault.
Despite his dominance, Pogačar remained humble, even gifting his pink jersey to a fellow rider.
Matxin emphasised that Pogačar’s aggressive approach was part of a master plan to prepare for both the Giro and the upcoming Tour de France.
The team aimed to win stages early and control the race, with a focus on key mountain stages.
Pogačar’s impressive performance reaffirmed his status as the world number one, while the team kept one eye on the Tour de France.
Haters Gonna Flag
Tadej Pogačar, dominating the Giro d’Italia, keeps getting flagged on Strava.
Despite his phenomenal performances, some users suspect or envy his results.
Flagging on Strava marks activities as questionable, removing them from leaderboards.
Pogačar’s rides have been flagged at least twice, but Strava cleared one of them.
He humorously addresses the flags with captions like ‘Haters gonna flag’.
Strava plans to use AI to better identify irregular activities and ensure fair play.
What’s Left For The GC?
Tadej Pogačar has all but secured the pink jersey in the Giro d’Italia.
However, the race for the remaining podium spots is far from over.
Danny Martínez, Geraint Thomas, and Ben O’Connor are battling it out, within a couple of minutes between them (albeit nearly 8 minutes off Pog) at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, young talents Thymen Arensman and Antonio Tiberi are vying for the white jersey of ‘best young rider,’ adding another layer of excitement to the final stages.
Demi Vollering’s Spanish Hat-Trick
Demi Vollering completed a sensational Spanish treble by winning the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas.
This victory capped off an incredible month of racing, positioning her as a top contender for the Olympics and Tour de France Femmes.
After a challenging spring, Vollering found her form in Spain, winning the Vuelta España Femenina and Itzulia Women before her Burgos triumph.
She plans to skip the Giro d’Italia Women to focus on the Paris Olympic Games and defend her title at the Tour de France Femmes.
Vollering expressed her excitement about her victories in Spain and looks forward to her upcoming major goals.
Lloyds Banks on British Cycling
British Cycling secured a ‘landmark’ sponsorship deal with Lloyds Bank, announced on Thursday.
Lloyds will be the title partner for the Tours of Britain, National Series events, and the National Championships.
The bank’s logo will feature on the Great Britain Cycling Team’s kit.
This partnership follows the end of HSBC’s sponsorship in 2021, which left British Cycling in financial turbulence.
BC CEO Jon Dutton hailed the deal as ‘game-changing’ and one of the biggest in British sport in recent years.
The deal, understood to be worth millions, is expected to last around five years.
Lloyds will also sponsor new events, including an international urban cycling festival and a national track league.
The partnership aims to inspire more people of all ages and abilities to access cycling.
Despite a controversial partnership with Shell, this new deal fills the gap for a headline sponsor.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Tour of Britain Women Faces Team Shortage
WorldTour teams have cited Brexit and race uncertainty as reasons for skipping the Tour of Britain Women.
It’s the gift that keeps on giving, isn’t it? Don’t mind me whilst I step on this rake.
Only four of 15 Women’s WorldTour teams are set to start in Welshpool next month.
Concerns about border delays and last-minute event organisation are among the reasons for the low turnout.
Movistar and Roland mentioned Brexit as a significant logistical challenge.
The event’s new organiser, British Cycling, faced difficulties convincing teams to commit due to the event’s uncertain status earlier this year.
The four-stage race begins on 6 June in Welshpool and finishes in Leigh on 9 June.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Van Aert’s Race Against Recovery
Wout van Aert returned to racing at the Tour of Norway, 56 days after a heavy crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen.
The crash left him with a broken sternum, collarbone, and seven ribs.
Despite being back, Van Aert admitted he was not at full fitness and still experienced discomfort.
His impatience to return to training exacerbated his injuries, causing setbacks in his recovery.
Van Aert approached the Tour of Norway with caution, uncertain about his condition.
The rest of his season, including the Tour de France and the Olympics, remained uncertain.
EF Education-EasyPost & Aevolo
EF Education-EasyPost partnered with U.S. Continental team Aevolo Cycling to scout future Tour de France champions.
The collaboration, starting in 2025, aims to share resources and expertise.
EF Education-EasyPost CEO Jonathan Vaughters hopes this partnership will create a pipeline of home-grown winners.
This is the team’s first in-house development program, with Aevolo led by ex-pro Mike Creed.
The move follows a trend of WorldTour teams establishing their own development programs to identify and nurture young talent.
Welsh Wonderkid Wheels into Israel Premier Tech
Israel Premier Tech Academy has signed 17-year-old Finlay Tarling to a two-year contract starting in 2025.
Finlay, brother of Ineos Grenadiers’ Josh Tarling, is known for his strong time-trialling skills.
He aims to develop his talents in both time trials and Classic races.
The Academy’s manager, Tim Elverson, expressed confidence in Finlay’s future contributions to the team.
The Tarling brothers are poised to become prominent figures in the WorldTour cycling scene.
Police to Zap E-Bike Crime with New Gadget
UK police are developing a device to remotely shut down e-bike and e-scooter motors.
The device uses electromagnetic pulses to trick the motor into thinking it’s overheating.
Housed in a backpack, it requires a clear line of sight to work.
It’s expected to be rolled out in the next few months.
The device aims to combat crimes involving e-bikes, which have seen a rise in thefts.
It may also be used in the future for other motor vehicles.
Bike Video Of The Week
I’m going to be completely honest here and say I did not fully understand the history of this video.
But it’s an interesting, and at times very funny one so I thought I would share:
Here’s the description from YouTube:
Mark Cavendish wants to beat Eddy Merckx’s 2024 Tour de France stage win record, and to that end he’s preparing better than ever in Greece to avoid any connection to doping. However, one of his and Alexandre Vinokourov’s sponsors has been caught cheating in a masters competition with mechanical doping in a hilarious story that deserves a video on this humble channel.
Another Cyclist Caught Cheating with Motor Doping..
Bike Of The Week
A super cool piece of AI art from Amazing Cycling over on Facebook.
I have to say, this one actually had me. It’s rare that I’m fooled by AI Art, but this one got me good. I really did think this was a genuine Pinerello Lego set.
A very cool idea all the same. I imagine that unless the kit was fairly large in size it would be a bit basic for a Lego set. That’s about the only downside to this being real.
Not entirely sure which bike this is based on – maybe the F5?
OK, that’s all from me. I’m going to enjoy the last day of the Giro, how about you?