The Giro is over, and all eyes are looking forwards to what that means for the Tour. Will Jonas make the start, and if so, will he be fit enough to fight against Pog?
Speaking of Pog… well, it’s less news than last week on his front. But the news that has come out has been around the crazy numbers he achieved during the Giro. And not all of them have been just his power output.
Beyond that, this week has been a lot about riders either returning from injury, or missing out on something in some form or other.
By the way, did anyone catch the coverage of Stage 3 of the 2024 Ford RideLondon Classique? I thoroughly enjoyed every single kilometre of that one, thanks to it going out live on the BBC.
As ever, you can see previous week’s news by clicking here.
Otherwise let’s jump on in to this week’s big cycling news stories.
Pogačar’s Giro d’Italia Dominance
Tadej Pogačar’s recent performances at the Giro d’Italia were nothing short of phenomenal.
He demonstrated unparalleled power, especially on the climbs, leaving his rivals far behind.
Pogačar managed to secure five stage wins and a significant lead in the General Classification.
His feats included a record-breaking ascent of Monte Grappa, further solidifying his status as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.
With his eyes now set on the Tour de France, cycling enthusiasts eagerly await his next display of prowess.
Wiebes’ World: A RideLondon Classique to Remember
England’s green and pleasant land played host to the SD Worx celebration during the Ford RideLondon Classique.
Britain’s biggest bike festival took over London and Essex for three stages of racing in the south east.
With big names in town for the first leg of a British block of racing, SD Worx-Protime’s Lorena Wiebes dominated by winning all three stages.
The article provides photo highlights from all three stages of this eventful weekend.
Read in full at Cyclist.co.uk.
UK Road Racing: A Wheel-y Big Crisis?
Domestic road racing in the UK has faced significant challenges recently, with numerous race cancellations, team closures, and bankrupt organisers.
There were only two British men’s UCI Continental teams in 2024, down from six in 2019.
Major races like the Tour de Yorkshire and Tour Series have been discontinued.
The Tour of Britain faced an uncertain future but will continue in 2024 under British Cycling’s organisation.
Women’s cycling in the UK is on an upward trajectory, with six UCI Women’s teams in 2024.
British Cycling has launched an Elite Road Racing Task Force to address these issues.
Steve Lampier highlighted the financial difficulties and the need for more pro races in the UK.
Harry Tanfield pointed out the lack of media coverage and the difficulty for young riders to reach the WorldTour.
The decline in club-organised races and volunteering has also impacted the scene.
Despite these challenges, UK cycling continues to produce top-level talent, but more grassroots support is needed.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Altitude Attitude: Vingegaard and Van Aert Climb Back to Form
Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert of Team Visma-Lease a Bike have headed to an altitude camp in Tignes, France.
Both cyclists are recovering from serious injuries sustained in high-speed crashes earlier this year.
Van Aert, who recently raced in Norway, is expected to join the Tour de France squad if his altitude training goes well.
Vingegaard, although eager, is still awaiting a final decision on his participation in the Tour.
The team aims to bring their top form to the Tour de France, with a decision on Vingegaard’s inclusion pending further assessment of his recovery.
Froome’s Tour Dream
Chris Froome is eyeing a possible return to the Tour de France but says it’s still too early to confirm.
After breaking his wrist in March, Froome will be racing at the Mercan’Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes and the Critérium du Dauphiné as a warm-up.
He hopes a strong performance at the Dauphiné will secure his spot with Israel Premier Tech for the Tour starting June 29 in Florence, Italy.
Froome wore a cast for nearly two months and is now fully recovered after an altitude camp with his teammates.
Despite past injuries and some team drama, Froome remains optimistic about racing beyond his current contract, which ends in 2025.
Miguel Ángel López Faces Four-Year Ban for Doping
Miguel Ángel López has been handed a four-year ban by the UCI for using a prohibited substance, Menotropin, during the 2022 Giro d’Italia.
The ban followed an investigation involving the International Testing Agency, the Spanish Guardia Civil, and the Spanish anti-doping organisation.
López insists on his innocence and plans to appeal the decision.
He was dropped by his former team, Astana Qazaqstan, due to his connection with Dr Marcos Maynar, who is under investigation for drug trafficking.
Privacy laws in Spain reportedly complicate anti-doping tests, allowing athletes to potentially avoid detection.
López has won stages in the Tour de France, Giro, and Vuelta a España, though it’s unclear if these results will be annulled.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Carapaz Left Out: Narváez to Shine in Paris
Richard Carapaz, Ecuador’s Olympic gold medallist from Tokyo, won’t be defending his title in Paris 2024.
In a controversial decision, the Federación Ecuatoriana de Ciclismo selected Jhonatan Narváez to fill Ecuador’s lone starting spot.
Carapaz’s appeal against the selection process, which he claimed was biased, was unsuccessful.
Narváez, who recently won a stage at the Giro d’Italia, had a competitive edge in points.
Carapaz wished Narváez luck and urged for fair sport.
Sagan’s Olympic Dream Ends
Peter Sagan has officially failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics mountain biking event.
Heart problems earlier in the year curtailed his efforts to gather enough UCI points.
Slovakia needed to rank within the top 19 countries but ended up 35th after the final qualifying event.
Despite returning to training and racing, Sagan has not competed in MTB since February.
There are no alternative qualification spots available for Slovakia.
Sagan has yet to publicly react to the news and his future racing plans remain unclear.
Magma V2
Aurum, co-owned by Grand Tour winners Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso, has released the second generation of its Magma road bike.
The Magma V2 is touted to be more aerodynamic with a claimed 17-watt saving over its predecessor.
The bike features a new integrated cockpit and improved stiffness-to-weight ratio.
Designed to be the fastest on the market, it has undergone extensive CFD testing.
The frame is available in five sizes and two colours, with complete builds starting from €8,099.
Wiggle Wiggles into New Hands for a Bargain £3 Million 💸
Wiggle, the online cycling retailer, was sold to Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group for £3 million plus VAT after a private equity deal fell through.
The sale was finalised in February 2024, following the collapse of a previous deal just before Christmas 2023.
Back in 2011, Wiggle had been purchased for £180 million and later merged with Chain Reaction Cycles in 2016, with the merged entity being sold for $645 million.
The recent sale included a £2.65 million upfront payment with the remaining balance paid after intellectual property transfers were completed.
Wiggle’s financial troubles began in October 2023 when its owner Signa Sports United faced significant financial losses.
The website, which had been deactivated, is now back online with a limited offering, and only four brands currently offer road bikes.
AI Rear-View Camera to the Rescue?
An Irish company, Luna Systems, unveiled a new AI-powered rear-view camera for cyclists.
The Luna Oculus camera sends warnings to a rider’s phone when a car approaches.
Set to launch in June, it aims to enhance cycling safety with technology similar to car dash cams.
Cyclists can customise ‘warning zones’ to fit their comfort levels.
The camera records close encounters, helping riders plan safer routes.
Sharing proximity events with other cyclists can improve overall safety and city planning.
Luna Systems will provide more details on the product’s pre-launch page soon.
Bike Of The Week
This beast is the 2023 Scott Foil RC10, coming from Redditor idontputout1670watts.
If you zoom in on the photo, the bike is tagged for Nathan Edensor, who appears to have plenty of Youth stats listed on the British Cycling website. So clearly he rides hard, which is what a bike like this should be used for.
I don’t have any specific stats for this one – you can check out the thread over on Reddit for the hi-res picture.
I’m actually not sold on the look of this one. It’s striking, but something about it doesn’t quiet sit right for me. It seems squashed at the back, but elongated at the front. Yet overall, somehow, it works.
OK, enough from me! See you next week.