Back from two weeks away on holiday, normal service resumes. I tried my best to keep up with all the happenings in the world of pro cycling – the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and the still happening Vuelta a España, but with the time difference and lack of televised coverage, it was a real challenge.
Still, I have managed to catch up with most of the big news, so a huge congratulations to Kasia Niewiadoma for her win at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. It was a very tight fought battle, with only 10 seconds separating the top 3 after 10 stages of racing.
That’s something we really haven’t seen much in the men’s Grand Tours this year… until now. With Ben O’Connor’s huge win on Stage 6 really adding some action to the GC, it’s a much more exciting race to watch, rather than, dare I say, the exhibitions that Pog has treated us too in this year’s other Grand Tours.
Also we have the televised Tour of Britain to look forwards too, and some retail ups-and-downs to kill the mood 🙂
All in all, a busy few weeks. So let’s dive right on in.
If you’re feeling nostalgic, here’s my last updated before my break. Otherwise, let’s dive right on in, shall we?
Niewiadoma Takes The Title
Kasia Niewiadoma clinched the 2024 Tour de France Femmes title after a thrilling battle with Demi Vollering on Alpe d’Huez.
Vollering won the stage but fell just four seconds short of Niewiadoma in the overall standings.
The stage marked the first time since 1992 that the women’s peloton tackled Alpe d’Huez.
Vollering’s attack on the Col du Glandon initially seemed enough to seize the yellow jersey.
However, Niewiadoma’s determined effort in the final kilometres secured her the overall victory.
Pauliena Rooijakkers and Evita Muzic completed the stage podium, with Rooijakkers also finishing third overall.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Ben O’Connor To Leave Decathlon-Ag2r
Ben O’Connor, the current race leader at this year’s Vuelta a España, is leaving Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale for Jayco AlUla in 2025.
His departure leaves a gap in team leadership, despite a stellar season with 30 victories.
Coach Stephen Barrett confirmed the team won’t sign a high-profile GC contender to replace him.
Instead, Felix Gall, a promising 26-year-old climber and time trialist, will step up as the new GC leader.
Gall has shown his potential with strong results, including a stage win at the Tour de France and an eighth place overall in 2023.
Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale plans to invest in young riders with future GC potential.
Yellow Cards Galore After Carapaz Crash
The Vuelta a España saw controversy as the Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale team received four ‘yellow cards’ for blocking tactics.
Race leader Ben O’Connor’s team was penalised after Victor Lafay nudged Richard Carapaz off the road, causing a crash.
Carapaz, who started the stage third overall, slipped to fourth after losing time due to the incident.
The UCI’s new ‘yellow card’ system was put to the test, with fines and penalties handed out to several team members.
You tell me if you can figure out what happened from the footage above, because I am pretty much clueless.
The Mountains of La Vuelta 2024
The 2024 Vuelta a España is the most mountainous Grand Tour of the year.
With nearly 10,000m more elevation gain than this year’s Tour de France, the race features seven uphill finishes. Throw in >40c temperatures and rises above 20% and it’s a brutal test of late season stamina.
Key climbs this year include Lagos de Covadonga, Picón Blanco, and the formidable Cuiti Negru.
I know I’m late to the party on this one.
Read in full at Cyclist.co.uk.
Tour of Britain Will Broadcast On ITV
The Tour of Britain Men will be broadcast live here in the UK, in full on ITV4 next week.
British Cycling has announced that all six stages, starting on 3 September in Kelso, Scotland, will have start-to-finish coverage.
Commentary will be provided by Ned Boulting and David Millar, with Matt Barbet presenting.
There will also be a one-hour highlights programme each evening on ITV4, available on ITVX.
International fans can watch live on British Cycling’s YouTube channel without geo restrictions.
The race features top riders like Remco Evenepoel, Julian Alaphilippe, and Tom Pidcock.
Teams include Bahrain Victorious, dsm-firmenich PostNL, and domestic squads like Saint Piran.
The race has been shortened to six stages, starting in the Scottish Borders and ending in Suffolk.
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Van der Poel’s World Title Defence
Mathieu van der Poel is gearing up for a challenging defence of his world title against big hitter opponents Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel on 29th September.
To prepare, he planned a series of low-key stage races, including the Renewi Tour and the Tour of Luxembourg, with a detour at the European championships.
Despite admitting his schedule isn’t ideal for the mountainous Zurich course, Van der Poel remains hopeful.
Dutch coach Koos Moerenhout believes Van der Poel has a fighting chance if he’s at his best.
Van der Poel’s season has seen both highs, like winning the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, and lows, such as a subdued Tour de France and a tough Olympic road race.
There’s no odds available yet on the bookies, but it will be interesting to see who is pencilled in as the favourite. Pog, is my guess.
Olympians’ Custom Bikes Shine Bright
The 2024 Olympic champions in road cycling received uniquely painted bikes that matched their golden achievements.
Remco Evenepoel, Kristen Faulkner, and Grace Brown were honoured with custom-painted bicycles from their sponsors.
Evenepoel, from Belgium, achieved the Olympic double and received a gold-leafed Specialized Tarmac SL8.
Faulkner, representing the USA, won two gold medals and was gifted a Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71 with golden stars and stripes.
Australia’s Grace Brown also received a golden Lapierre Aerostorm after her victory in treacherous conditions.
I wonder where they put all these bikes?
Read in full at Cycling Weekly.
Vingegaard Ends Season Early
Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel are taking very different paths this autumn.
Vingegaard has ended his season early to focus on family and recuperation after a challenging year.
He suffered significant injuries but managed to secure a stage win at the Tour de France and a GC win in Poland.
Evenepoel, on the other hand, is gearing up for a busy end-of-season schedule aiming for more titles.
He’s been training intensively and plans to compete in the Tour of Britain, European and world championships.
Will A.I. Design Our Next Ride?
Bike manufacturers like Canyon, Pinarello, Trek, and Yeti shared insights on the use of artificial intelligence in bicycle design.
While AI tools are being utilised to optimise strength, weight, and aerodynamics, they aren’t replacing human designers just yet.
Canyon employs AI-supported simulation tools to speed up development cycles.
Trek explored AI for progressive sizing options and consumer feedback engines.
Pinarello uses advanced algorithms for computational fluid dynamics but not full AI.
Yeti is investigating AI integration but still relies heavily on human insights.
Scott Rolls Out New Co-CEOs
Scott Sports has appointed Pascal Ducrot and Juwon Kim as co-CEOs, concluding its search for new leadership.
Kim had been serving as interim CEO since March, following the contentious replacement of longtime CEO Beat Zaugg.
The company has expanded its executive team and plans to refocus on its core bicycle business, which generates over 80% of its revenue.
Scott will also increase its investment in apparel and footwear, while continuing to support its bike, running, winter, and outdoor markets.
Notably, the ‘Moto’ division was not mentioned in the company’s new focus areas.
If you’re looking for a slightly lower stress job at Scott, they are currently hiring for an on-site Barista, and also a Bike Mechanic in their Bavaria location. Check out their LinkedIn for more on them.
Read in full at BicycleRetailer.com.
Peloton’s £72 Second Hand Tax
Peloton has reported its first sales increase in nine quarters, prompting a 41% surge in their share price. Whoop-ti-do.
The American fitness company has introduced a £72 ‘activation fee’ for second-hand bikes.
This comes after a turbulent period marked by large-scale redundancies and restructuring.
CEO Barry McCarthy stepped down in May, following another round of cuts to bring spending in line with revenue.
McCarthy’s tenure included significant layoffs, cutting retail presence, ending free app memberships, and outsourcing manufacturing.
Despite a £23m loss in the fourth quarter, Peloton’s revenue exceeded analysts’ predictions, showing a positive trend. Maybe we will see the outcome of this £72 second hand activation fee in Q1 2025’s results.
Evans Cycles Expanding
Evans Cycles is opening two new stores in Bristol and Sheffield as part of its expansion plans.
This comes just weeks after reporting a £22.8m loss and launching a 70% sale on bikes.
The new Bristol store will feature a 150-bike showroom and service centre.
The Sheffield store will be located in the Meadowhall Centre, attached to Sports Direct and Frasers.
Despite financial losses, the company is optimistic about its future in brick-and-mortar retail.
I must say my local Evans is super disappointing since it relocated into the Sports Direct building. Feels like a real after thought.
Giant Group’s Revenue Takes a Wheelie Big Dip
Giant Group announced a 12.6% decline in first-half revenues, totalling NT$37.23 billion.
Despite profit growth in China, gross margin rate was 21.3% with net profit after tax down 17.1% to NT$1.67 billion.
Earnings per share stood at NT$4.27.
Second quarter revenue fell by 5.8% to NT$21.17 billion, attributed to a greater mix of its own brands’ products.
The company remains optimistic about inventory adjustments in Europe and America, and the cycling trend in China driving future growth.
Taiwan stock market data showed an improved revenue story in July, up 16.62% from last year.
The currency quoted is NT – as in New Taiwan dollars, but I thought Giant was a Chinese brand and China aren’t big on Taiwan. How confusing!
Read in full at BicycleRetailer.com.
GoPro Cuts Workforce to Stay Afloat
GoPro Inc. planned to reduce its workforce by about 15% to cut operating expenses by approximately $50 million.
The restructuring plan was approved by the board of directors and the company.
Around 140 employees out of 925 were expected to be affected by the end of the year.
This decision followed a reported 23% decline in second-quarter revenue year-over-year.
Retail-channel sales dropped by 17% during the same period.
In the first quarter, revenue was down 11% year-over-year.
For 2023, overall revenue decreased by 6% compared with 2022 and 18% year-over-year in the fourth quarter.
By my back of the napkin maths, $50m savings by dropping 140 employees means on average that each employee is costing the company $360k… which seems unlikely. Make of that what you will.
Read in full at BicycleRetailer.com.
Bike Video Of The Week
This one was a nice surprise to return home too.
MyWhoosh really are killing it with their new maps. Very attractive routes, and personally I do like the real world locations over the made up worlds available elsewhere.
Also whilst I’ve been away, MyWhoosh have started to offer some kind of in-game currency, which is their first attempt at monetisation. It will be interesting to see where they go from there.
One thing I would actually pay for with MyWhoosh is an ability to get rid of the noise. All the banners, airplanes and hot air balloons which I personally find very distracting.
Bike Of The Week
I found this one over on Reddit, but the actual pictures come from Two Hubs who are selling – as far as I can tell – the Basso Diamente SV frameset, not the complete build.
Interestingly, this paint scheme is not available as a pre-built bike from Basso directly, so possibly it’s one of them ‘frameset’ only paint schemes like Specialized and other brands do. I quite like that, but the frame alone is $5,899 (USA), so regardless it’s completely outside my budget.
My only minor niggle with this frame is the top of the fork angle is a tiny bit too much for my tastes. I feel if they could have made the angle on the forks match the angle on the seat tube / seat stays connector, it would have been super pleasing on the eye.
Anyway, like I say, yet another beautiful bike out of my price bracket. One day. Maybe. Hopefully.
Until next week!