This week’s sporting news has been dominated by the Olympics, and personally I’ve been enjoying a number of sports I would normally never get to see. Swimming, skateboarding, and BMX have been just a few I’ve watched. I tried the clay pigeon shooting, but that doesn’t translate well to the TV.
One event I tried to enjoy but found myself struggling with, was the opening weekend time trials. The number of falls (and a spectacular save) was harrowing, and I found myself wincing in sympathy with each horrific tumble.
Most of the big road cycling events are happening this weekend, so it’s a bit of a unusual situation with me not wanting to publish a lot of the ‘pre-race analysis’ type articles the big sites were putting out, as a good chunk of these will be already over with by the time this post publishes.
Beyond the Olympics this week we have a little bit of Pro Peloton news and a little bit of industry tales of woe, which I guess must be end of quarter earnings related. Aside from that, it’s actually been a pretty quiet week for once.
That said, there are always some stories worth a read, so here’s my take.
As always you can read last week’s round up by clicking here.
Pidcock’s Puncture & Paris Push Pass
Tom Pidcock overcame an early puncture to defend his Olympic gold medal in cross-country mountain biking at the Paris Olympics.
Despite being booed by the home crowd after a ‘collision’ with French silver medallist Victor Koretzky, Pidcock powered through to victory. There were two lines, and that’s racing.
Pidcock’s race seemed in jeopardy due to the flat tyre, but he rapidly caught up, overtaking South Africa’s Alan Hatherly and eventually Koretzky.
A thrilling final lap saw Pidcock edge past Koretzky to claim his second consecutive Olympic gold, having won in Tokyo 2021.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Taylor Knibb’s Time Trial
Despite crashing four times in a rain-soaked Paris Olympics time trial, Taylor Knibb was surprisingly jolly when she described herself as ‘probably the worst bike handler’ in the field.
The American, better known for her triathlon career, finished 19th out of 34 riders on Saturday, in what was only her third-ever time trial event.
After the race, Knibb walked through the media zone with a towel around her shoulders, two bandaged knees, and an unexpected smile on her face.
Rain fell throughout the day in the French capital, making the already bumpy roads even more treacherous to navigate.
Knibb’s first crash came around the 14km mark, on the same roundabout where Denmark’s Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig hit the floor moments before.
Even Knibb herself was unsure about how many times she crashed during her effort.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Paris Olympics Road Conditions
Unsurprisingly given the story above, riders have been left unimpressed by the conditions of the Paris Olympics time trial course.
Remco Evenepoel, the reigning world champion, described the roads as ‘pretty shit’.
Ellen van Dijk, a three-time world champion, also criticised the bumpy and cracked surface.
Cycling Weekly inspected the course and found uneven tarmac and visible cobbles.
Team GB’s Josh Tarling noted some potholes but expected it to be ‘fun’. Josh has the unusual advantage in that the UK’s roads are in far worse conditions, so if anything the Paris roads could be seen as a dramatic improvement over the usual.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Remco Eyeing Tour of Britain
Remco Evenepoel, fresh off his time trial gold at the Paris Olympics and third place in the GC at this year’s Tour, is expected to race in the Tour of Britain Men this September.
Cycling Weekly reports that the Belgian rider will join Soudal Quick-Step for the six-day event starting in Scotland.
Evenepoel’s participation is yet to be confirmed officially, but it’s on his provisional schedule.
The race will be the first under British Cycling’s new major events arm after the previous organiser, SweetSpot, entered liquidation.
Tom Pidcock and possibly Mark Cavendish are also rumoured to participate, making it a star-studded event.
The tour will start in Kelso and end in Felixstowe, with significant elevation gains in the early stages.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Olympic Bikes: Why No Uniformity?
At the Olympics, team members don’t ride uniform bikes due to regulations allowing different brands.
That said, riders tend to stick to their trade team bikes to avoid the hassle of adjusting to new equipment.
Uniformity is more common in track cycling with bikes like the Hope x Lotus, but it’s not mandatory.
And of course, costly Olympic-level bikes, some over £100,000, also play a role in the varied choices.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Kopecky vs. The Dutch Triple Threat
Lotte Kopecky is determined to bring gold to Belgium in the women’s Olympic road race in Paris.
She faces fierce competition from a formidable Dutch trio: Vos, Vollering, and Wiebes.
Italy’s Longo Borghini and Balsamo are also strong contenders, with the former having a stellar season.
Australia’s Grace Brown, fresh off a time trial victory, is another name to watch.
The race features a challenging 158km course with varied terrain, promising an exciting and unpredictable finale.
Olympic Road Race Rundown
The Paris Olympics road races are set for this weekend, featuring top cyclists vying for gold.
Notable absences include Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard due to fatigue and selection decisions.
Riders will be on their trade team bikes, not national team bikes, due to personal preferences and sponsorships.
Reigning champions Richard Carapaz and Anna Kiesenhofer will not be defending their titles.
The final circuit within Paris will be similar to the Glasgow World Championships.
The peloton will be smaller due to IOC athlete caps, with only one rider per team winning a medal.
Race radios won’t be used, making for a more chaotic race.
Team sizes vary based on UCI rankings, with selection focusing on course suitability and rider form.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Candice Lill’s Olympic Hopes Shattered
South African rider Candice Lill saw her medal hopes vanish after a freak wheel break during the Olympic mountain bike race in Élancourt.
Her rear wheel shattered on a rock, forcing her to run to the tech zone for repairs.
Despite her efforts, Lill finished 20th overall, far from the podium she had aimed for.
Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot clinched the gold, adding to her five world championships.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Transfer News
The transfer season kicked off with major moves by top teams.
Jayco-AlUla signed Ben O’Connor to lead their GC efforts.
O’Connor replaces Simon Yates, who is linked to other teams.
UAE Team Emirates secured Jhonathan Narváez from Ineos Grenadiers.
Visma-Lease a Bike added rising star Alex Zingle.
These transfers highlight the ongoing talent grab by ‘super teams’.
Froome To Ride Arctic Race of Norway
Chris Froome, after being snubbed for the Tour de France, is set to compete in the Arctic Race of Norway.
The 39-year-old aims to prove his worth despite a career setback from a 2019 crash.
Meanwhile, Australian cyclist Jay Vine is making a comeback after a severe crash earlier this year.
Vine, who suffered multiple fractures, is back training and feeling optimistic.
Both riders are looking forward to future races with renewed determination.
Pogačar’s Vuelta Still In Debate
Tadej Pogačar has had an exceptional year, winning both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.
Despite his dominance, he’s decided not to compete in the Vuelta a España.
His team, UAE Team Emirates, wants to give other riders their chance and avoid overburdening him.
While Pogačar could potentially win the Vuelta, prioritising his long-term career seems wiser.
Geraint Thomas hinted that Pogačar’s teammates would be disgruntled if he changed his mind now.
Pogačar’s absence means the Vuelta will miss some big names, making his decision even more notable.
Supermarket Sweep
Stage 6 of the 2024 Vuelta a España started from a Carrefour superstore in Jerez de la Frontera.
This quirky PR stunt celebrated Carrefour’s 12th anniversary as a Vuelta sponsor.
The stage began amidst shelves of jamon, oranges, and olives, with defending champion Sepp Kuss leading the peloton.
Some 400 store employees participated in a day-long fiesta featuring family activities, tastings, and competitions.
This isn’t the first wacky Vuelta start, following a time trial through Burgos cathedral in 2021 and a detour into the Great Church in Breda in 2022.
Shimano’s Sales Slip
Shimano’s bike component sales decreased by 20.7% year-over-year in the first half.
Global market inventories remained elevated.
Net sales were 162,594 million yen, a drop from last year’s 263,250 million yen.
Operating income decreased by 42.2%.
Second-quarter bike division sales fell by 18.9%.
That doesn’t mean much to me in yen, but in quids, it’s a fall from £1.3b to £800m. Pretty substantial. Apparently they are fine from it, so you know, losing 500m over a year is no big deal I guess?
Read in full at BicycleRetailer.com.
Garmin’s Pedalling to Profit
Garmin Ltd. saw a 14% revenue increase in Q2, led by double-digit growth in the Fitness segment.
The company reported sales of $1.51 billion and a 20% rise in operating income to $342 million.
Fitness segment revenue, which includes cycling products, hit $428 million, marking a 28% year-over-year increase.
Garmin launched the Edge 1050 cycling computer with a colour touchscreen, built-in speaker, and Garmin Pay.
Net income for the second quarter rose 4.4%, reaching $301 million, with earnings per share up from $1.51 to $1.57.
I’ve said it before, being tied tightly to the bike industry is a bad sign. But fitness more broadly is doing super.
Read in full at BicycleRetailer.com.
Bike Of The Week
This week’s Bike of the Week is a personal shot from a shop window I passed whilst down in Birmingham for work.
As I said at the start of this post, this week I had to go away with work. I went down to Birmingham, and at night I went out for my evening meal and had to walk through a posh shopping centre (The Mailbox, for the locals / in the know).
There was a Ribble shop, but it was closed. In the window they had their top end Allroad SL R, without any details such as price of spec. Even so, you could tell it was a high end bike, just from how gorgeous it looked. I guess my picture doesn’t do it justice, sadly.
Anyway, that’s it from me this week. Enjoy the day’s Olympic race events if you’re watching, and I shall see you all next week.