A shortened update this week as I have other commitments from Thursday so that’s where this week’s news cuts out.
Personally I’ve been (continuing to) enjoying the Olympics, and not just the cycling either. There’s always something new and interesting to watch, but it has been a little frustrating that some events get way more coverage than others. I guess there is only a limited amount of TV time available?
The big cycling news this week is the forthcoming start of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. That should be a great race and I’m definitely looking forwards to watching as much of it as I can.
We’ve also, I think (at least, I have), seen the first review of the Van Rysel RCR Pro hit the press. Perhaps unsurprisingly the review was positive. Though as always with bike reviews, or reviews of anything really, they are entirely subjective.
As always you can read last week’s round up by clicking here.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2024
The 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift features 154 riders over 8 stages across 3 countries.
Getting underway in Rotterdam on Monday 12th August, the race spans 950 km with 13,566m of elevation.
For the first time, the race includes a split stage and finished atop Alpe d’Huez.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Transfer Rumours
Something we covered last week, but more news is coming out every day it seems.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot signed a three-year deal with Visma-Lease a Bike, returning to road cycling after her Olympic mountain biking success.
Juliette Labous joined FDJ-Suez, staying with the team until at least 2027.
Simon Carr moved to Cofidis after four years with EF Education-EasyPost.
Simon Yates signed a two-year contract with Visma-Lease a Bike, leaving Jayco-AIUla after a decade.
Bob Jungels joined Ineos Grenadiers on a two-year deal from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
Ben O’Connor moved to Jayco AlUla, looking to excel with the Australian team.
Jhonatan Narváez swapped Ineos Grenadiers for UAE Team Emirates, signing a deal until 2028.
Guillaume Martin left Cofidis for Groupama-FDJ after a long tenure.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Kuss Ready to Defend Vuelta Title
Sepp Kuss showed promising form post-Covid as he claimed the leader’s jersey at Vuelta a Burgos.
He won the Queen Stage with a solo finish up the 11-kilometre climb to Neila.
This victory marks his full recovery and boosts his confidence ahead of defending his Vuelta a España title.
Kuss missed the Tour de France due to Covid but is now back in top shape.
Last year, he became the first American male in a decade to win the Maillot Rojo.
The 2024 Vuelta a España starts on August 17 with a time trial in Lisbon.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Tour of Britain Headliners
Ineos Grenadiers and Soudal Quick-Step are set to headline the upcoming Tour of Britain this September.
This marks Soudal Quick-Step’s return to the race since 2021.
The event will feature four WorldTour teams, including the British Ineos Grenadiers, Dutch squad DSM-Firmenich, and Bahrain Victorious.
Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel is expected to feature for Soudal Quick-Step.
Additional teams will include development squads and Continental level squads from around the globe.
The six-day race will start in Kelso, Scotland, and conclude in Felixstowe, Suffolk.
The first two stages are expected to be the most challenging in the race’s history.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Froome’s Final Frontier
Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome aims to end his career on a high note after a series of quiet seasons.
He hopes to race the Tour de France one last time before retiring after the 2025 season.
Froome’s career has been marred by injuries and non-selection for key events since a serious crash in 2019.
Despite signing with Israel-Premier Tech, his win column has remained empty since 2018.
His other big goal for 2025 is to win a race, even if it’s a smaller one.
Currently, Froome is competing in the Arctic Race of Norway in a team role.
He revealed he won’t be participating in the upcoming Vuelta a España.
Post-career, he is considering staying involved in cycling, particularly in developing talent in Africa.
Lifeplus-Wahoo To Fold
The British Continental team Lifeplus-Wahoo will fold at the end of the 2024 season due to a lack of title sponsorship.
Despite securing product partners for 2025, they couldn’t sell naming rights to meet the budget for a UCI ProTeam licence.
Team managers Bob and Tom Varney expressed their disappointment, noting the introduction of a ProTour with minimum salary requirements.
Founded in 2015, the team has faced sponsor issues before, including a crowdfunding effort in 2019.
Recent challenges included a theft of all their bikes during the Tour of Britain Women.
This closure leaves only five British UCI Continental women’s teams remaining.
Read in full at Cyclist.co.uk.
UCI Standardising Turbo Trainers
The UCI will standardise smart trainers for the 2024 Cycling Esports World Championships to ensure a 1% power accuracy and fair competition.
This event marks the first time it will be held on a platform other than Zwift, with a live finale in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
MyWhoosh, the new platform host, partnered with the UCI and Elite to test and certify 40 trainers for the event.
The standardisation process involved rigorous testing to ensure trainers provide consistent and reliable performance data.
Athletes will receive the standardised Elite Justo 2 trainers four weeks before the event, ensuring a level playing field.
This initiative aims to elevate cycling esports by ensuring fairness and integrity, making it a standalone discipline.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Van Rysel RCR Pro Review
The Van Rysel RCR Pro Team Replica from Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale has been generating significant buzz since it was revealed several months back. I forget exactly when. It’s been a busy year.
Despite being dubbed ‘the WorldTour’s most affordable bike’ at £9,000, it boasts high-end features and performance.
Affordable by WorldTour bike standards maybe, but sadly not for me.
Fran Millar Takes the Helm at Rapha
Fran Millar, former CEO of Team Sky and Ineos, has been named as the new CEO of Rapha.
Her appointment follows Rapha’s closure of its US office and significant financial losses.
Millar’s extensive background in cycling and leadership makes her a strong fit for the role.
She replaces Francois Convercey, who became sole head in October 2023.
Bike Video Of The Week
Two videos this week, from the handful I watched. There is a new Trace Velo video out, if that sort of thing interests you. But I can’t always feature his new videos.
The first one this week was a bit of a meme video.
The second one was coverage of the problems at Ineos.
I clipped this one to start at the interesting point of discussion.
Bike Of The Week
This week’s bike of the week comes via Reddit, and is a (currently) commentless post from Redditor jumpitoverthefence.
I’m guessing this is their photo, and their bike? But as no details are given, it’s not super easy to say.
I honestly don’t know much about this bike, and judging by the exterior routed cables on this picture versus the current 525 pictures on the official website, I am guessing this one is a few years old?
Still, lovely bike, particularly the frame. It reminds me of the Pinarello frame shape. I wonder which came first?
Anyway, that’s enough from me this week. I will be back in a couple of weeks! Until then, enjoy your riding.