Don't cry because it's over

Welcome to the first official newsletter of the off-season [insert shocked emoji face] - yes folks, it’s all over, road season is finito and we have said goodbye not only to the elite road pelotons for another season but also to some of their most beloved riders - but more on that later.

When I shifted newsletter publication day to the beginning of the week rather than the end, a few weeks ago, I hadn’t realised quite how neat and tidy it would be when we came the official OFFICIAL end of the season and it meant I could wrap up the previous fortnight’s proceedings, pop a big shiny bow on top and declare ‘SEASON OVER’ with a big green tick. But here we are.

First off I’d like to welcome new subscribers to the site and the newsletter, which operate under one lovely umbrella although they emanate from different sites (confusing, sorry!) - I really appreciate you joining me for the off-season, in which I will aim to keep you updated with all the goings on around the cycling world, along with some cyclocross and no doubt keeping abreast of the raging debate over new kits that will ensue around the Christmas period. You know you love it.

Before all that though, here’s a quick look back at all the content from the past couple of weeks:

On the site, I’ve written about the beauty of cyclocross, and why you should get involved with this mad and brilliant off-road adventure this season, if you haven’t already. The World Cup kicked off in Waterloo in Wisconsin at the weekend with wins for Fem van Empel and Thibau Nys - full focus on ‘cross in the next newsletter, but until then, wrap your eyeballs around this:

On Twitter, I reflected on six months of my newly renovated website - there’s a thread here talking about how it’s gone, with links to some of the most popular pieces from the past half a year. Also, a free prize draw that offers a chance to win a beautiful cycling print by one of my amazing contributors, Dutch artist Anouk Verhoeks. You are all automatically entered, as you’re already subscribed!

And finally, on the podcast we’ve discussed Primoz Roglič and Annemiek van Vleuten, and in the two most recent episodes we’ve covered an introduction to cyclocross and a look back at the career of Peter Sagan - search for On Yer Bike wherever you get your podcasts to tune in, and if you can, leave us a lovely review as it really helps bump us up the charts (we have broken in at #124 in the UK sports podcast charts which we’re extremely proud of!)

NOW - on with the news.

NEWS ROUND-UP

MERGER OFF!

Yes, you can cancel your 50/50 Visma/QuickStep jersey orders, the most talked about marriage in recent cycling history is over before the two-wheeled registry office has even been booked.

Since we last spoke: Patrick Lefevre assured staff that they would have somewhere to go, should the merger go ahead; then Amazon pulled out of a supposed sponsorship deal to replace Jumbo, and shortly after that, confirmation came from Lefevre that with the continued backing of Zdenek Bakala, the team currently known as Soudal-QuickStep will continue until at least 2025. The news that the merger would no longer go ahead was the logical final step in the process, with news out of the Jumbo camp that they will be able to cover their title sponsorship loss (once Jumbo withdraw at the end of 2024) with recourse to funding from other current sponsors. Annnnnd relax.

It’s basically ‘as you were’, and one wonders, if all of this has really been necessary at all - if it had taken place out of the public eye, we’d all have had less to talk about and debate over the past couple of weeks. Is that good or bad? Depends on your perspective, I suppose.

STOP PRESS: Jumbo-Visma have today announced Lease A Bike as the new title sponsors who will replace Jumbo in 2024, increasing their current level of sponsorship with a higher level of investment.

DEPARTURE LOUNGE

Outside of merger madness it’s been all about transfers this past couple of weeks, here are a few of the most notable stories from the world of ‘got, got, need.’ (That’s a 1990s Panini sticker album reference just in case you were wondering).

Primoz Roglič to BORA-Hansgrohe (he’ll be sole leader for the 2024 Tour de France: GAME ON!) The announcement was designed by ProCycle Trumps and is one to enjoy again and again, so here it is:

Caleb Ewan to Team Jayco-Alula (a homecoming for the Aussie who will hopefully return to form for 2024: GAME ON!)

Florian Sénéchal to Arkéa-Samsic (a key link in the chain of Arnaud Démare ’s lead-out for 2024: GAME ON!)

Michael Mørkøv and trainer to Astana-Qazaqstan (along with Cav’s trainer Vasilis Anastopoulos from QuickStep - the 2021 band are getting back together, and it means Project #35 is on: GAME ON!)

Tim Declercq to Lidl-Trek (we’ve waited to hear confirmation of this for some time now and it’s happening - El Tractor to lead the peloton in the glorious colours of Lidl-Trek for 2024: GAME ON!)

Yes, lots of good news and exciting things to celebrate - plenty more where that came from too, check out the latest headlines at the website for more transfer news.

GOODBYE, SWEET PRINCES

We’ve also waved goodbye to some pretty significant names over the past couple of weeks, including riders who’ve been in the peloton since I started watching cycling, and it’s all been quite emotional to be honest. Peter Sagan, Thibaut Pinot, Greg van Avermaet, Dries Devenyns, and Tony Gallopin have been among the names saying goodbye, with a few late in the day announcements as some riders seem to have just decided ‘actually you know what, I’m done too!’ - the likes of Nacer Bouhanni and Jens Keukeleire fall into this camp. Wishing them all much luck for the future, whatever it may hold (in Thibaut Pinot’s case, it definitely holds goats).

RESULTS ROUND-UP

Let’s wind down gently shall we, just a race here and a race there, nothing too strenuous, definitely none of that silly double-screen nonsense.

HAHAHA YEAH RIGHT. It’s been as packed a schedule as May or June in the men’s peloton, so let’s dive right in and bring you right up to speed with the final set of results from the 2023 season (sob).

FOCUS ON: Italian Classics

Italy in Autumn is a beautiful thing, and this year’s one-day races didn’t disappoint, with a series of exciting races in stunning conditions, and culminating in the race of the falling leaves, Lombardia. Here’s what happened.

Coppa Bernocchi (2 Oct) It was a race with an elite selection, including multiple riders from the two teams then thought to potentially be merging - Jumbo Visma and Soudal QuickStep. Wout van Aert won the final sprint from Vincenzo Albanese and Andrea Bagioli, taking a precious win in a season that’s fallen short of his considerably high expectations.

The Wolfpack were visible in all of the Italian classics, seemingly fired up by the injustice of their uncertain futures, and they took the win at Tre Valli Varesine (3 Oct) through Ilan van Wilder after a determined solo breakaway from the young Belgian, who was outspoken in his post-race interview and won himself several new fans in the process I suspect. Honourable mention to Walter Calzoni from Q36.5 who put in an incredible performance riding in the day’s early break and surviving deep into the race - an excellent prospect.

Gran Piemonte (5 Oct) was another race dominated by Soudal QuickStep, with Andrea Bagioli the day’s victor, the fastest of a lead group of three that also included Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) and Alex Aranburu (Movistar). Bagioli has shown well in the latter part of this season and will be an asset to his new team, Lidl-Trek, in 2024.

IL LOMBARDIA (7 Oct): and so to the final Monument of the season. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) began the day with a hilarious Instagram reel proving that he never takes life too seriously, even when he’s going for a hat-trick of Monument victories.

The race didn’t begin well, with an early crash for Remco Evenepoel which, while not serious, was enough to ensure that once again, the cycling faithful would be frustrated in their desire to see the Belgian go head-to-head with Pogačar. The pace picked up on the ascent of the final climb, with Evenepoel dropping out of contention as the bunch thinned and a group of favourites was left. But it wasn’t until the descent that Pogačar chose to attack, with 30km to go. Despite a scare as he appeared to suffer briefly from cramp, he rode solo to his third consecutive victory at the race of the falling leaves. The in-form Bagioli beat Primoz Roglič in the sprint for second.

One of the biggest stories outside of the race was Thibaut Pinot’s final day on the bike. His career ended with a party featuring the whole Groupama-FDJ team and hundreds of fans, and footage from it has been all over social media and it’s truly a joyful thing, despite the bittersweet nature of the occasion. More on Pinot later…

THE BEST OF THE REST

A bunch of one-day races to report on! Binche-Chimay-Binche (3 Oct) was won by Luca Mozzato (Team Arkéa–Samsic), and on the same day Jumbo-Visma’s Per Strand Hagenes didn’t know he won the Munsterland Giro (3 Oct) so didn’t celebrate as he crossed the line, thinking he had another lap to go - a shame as he became one of the only trainee riders to win a .Pro race in recent memory - quite the achievement.

The next day the race with probably the most demanding name of the year, the Visit Friesland Elfsteden Race (4 Oct), was won by Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Jasper Philipsen, following a tough day that while flat, was besieged by crosswinds, resulting in an extremely tough day out.  

Paris-Bourges (5 Oct) featured an exciting but tense run-in to the line, with tight twists and turns and a perfectly timed lead-out from Arkéa–Samsic for Arnaud Démare, winning the battle of the Arnauds as he bested De Lie who once again struggled with overpowering his bike, wobbling over the line.

Démare would have been hoping to do a hat-trick himself at Paris-Tours (8 Oct) but the sprinters were denied their chance at the most under-rated so-called sprinter’s classic of the year, as the breakaway won the day, and the overall winner was Israel-Premier Tech’s Riley Sheehan. Like Per Strand Hagenes, the American was riding as a trainee - unlike the Norwegian, Sheehan will return to the US to ride at continental level next season. It was a pretty amazing result.

Rounding out the season of one-day races, the Giro del Veneto (11 Oct) and Veneto Classic (15 Oct), which were won by Dorian Godon (AG2R-Citroen) and Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) respectively. Rui Costa won the Japan Cup (15 Oct) and Josh Tarling recorded the fastest time in a strong field of time triallists to win the Chrono des Nations (15 Oct), beating Remco Evenepoel by 13 seconds.

The final two stage races of the year were the Presidential Tour of Turkiye (8-15 Oct) and the Tour of Guangxi (12-17 Oct).

In Turkey, Jasper Philipsen continued in his bid to be the season’s most winningest rider, with 50% of the victories, in stages 1, 2, 4 and 8. BORA-Hansgrohe animated the race and got one stage win to show for it, on stage 5 courtesy of Nico Denz. Burgos-BH’s Victor Langellotti won stage 6, Jay Vine stage 7 after a difficult season and some tough luck earlier in the race that saw him drop out of GC contention, and Alexey Lutsenko won a stage and the overall victory, closing out the season in style for Astana-Qazaqstan Team. The stage he won was the ‘toughest climb in cycling’ the truly BRUTAL Badabag ascent in Fethiye, which challenged the peloton to 18km at an eye-watering average of 10%. The road surface was unforgiving and the temperature relatively high, and all in all, it looked truly unpleasant and watching the battle at the front of the race was like watching a slow-motion punch-up. One worth revisiting for those with a strong constitution.

One rider hoping that the Tour of Turkey can provide him with an opportunity to race in the pro ranks is British rider Max Stedman. writebikerepeat.com contributor Dan Challis interviewed Max to find out about the struggles he’s faced this season, read the piece here.

Oscar Sevilla (Team Medellin-EPM) won the Tour of Hainan (5-9 Oct) in China and Andrey Zeits (Astana-Qazaqstan Team) won the Tour of Kyushu (7-9 Oct) in Japan.

The Tour of Guangxi has literally just finished, like, about two hours ago - FRESH NEWS IN YOUR INBOX! Stages 1-3 and 5-6 ended in bunch sprints with three different winners - Elia Viviani (INEOS Grenadiers), Jonathan Milan (Bahrain Victorious), Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) who bagged two, and Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates). Stage 4 was a GC day, won by Jumbo-Visma’s Milan Vader, who did enough to secure the leader’s jersey by virtue of his performance on that stage.

WOMEN

The tail end of the women’s season has been sparse in terms of race days, with just a few results to report on. Binche-Chimay-Binche pour Dames (3 Oct) was won by Team DSM’s British champion Pfeiffer Georgi, while Tre Valli Varesine (3 Oct) saw Movistar victorious, also with a national champion - Germany’s Liane Lippert taking the spoils in Italy.

The Tour of Chongming Island (11-13 Oct) was the final WWT stage race of the year, and featured three pan-flat stages in China, with three different winners - Mylene de Zoete (Ceratizit-WNT), Hanna Tserakh (Li Ning Star Ladies) and Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ) winning stages 1-3 respectively; Consonni the most consistent took the overall victory.

Anna Kiesenhofer (Team Austria) won the Chrono des Nations (15 Oct) by just 1 second over Christina Schweinberger, and Daria Pikulik (Human Powered Health) won the final race of the season, the Tour of Guangxi (17 Oct) (a one-day race for the women).

FINAL THOUGHT: Breaking up is hard to do

It’s the end of the season, which is always tough to take as it is, but it’s also the end of the line for some much-loved pros as several high-profile riders head off to begin their retirements. It’s a season that has actually seen a lower number of retiring riders than the past couple, and yet those that are leaving us feel as though they leave behind a gaping hole in the cycling landscape - the likes of Annemiek van Vleuten, Peter Sagan, Greg van Avermaet and Thibaut Pinot among others have been part of the fabric of pro cycling for as many years as I’ve been watching, but not only that, they’ve shaped the narrative and been ever-present, and I know I’m not alone in feeling a bit bereft at the thought of moving on without them.

It was Pinot’s retirement that hit me hardest on a personal level. The man has been a symbol of the romance and tragedy of pro cycling for his long career and it’s been a lesson in sports psychology - or maybe the script of a poignant Hollywood blockbuster - to watch his rise and fall (and maybe a bit more falling and the odd rise but mostly fall). Pinot’s retirement celebrations in Lombardy following the race were befitting of the man himself and spoke to just how beloved he is among his compatriots, but it was clear from interviews he gave in his final year of racing that his heart wasn’t in it anymore, the pressure had grown too much for him to bear, and he just genuinely wasn’t enjoying it anymore. Speaking before Il Lombardia, he said the following, and if it doesn’t sum the man up, I don’t know what does:

'It hasn't been a gift until today, because knowing that everyone is coming, making the trip, and that you might not even be able to finish the race put a lot of pressure on me.'

If you haven’t watched it yet, I urge you to give a few minutes to this emotional video beautifully put together by the Groupama-FDJ media team - not a dry eye in the house.

He gleefully took to social media to document his first few days post-retirement, featuring go-karting with his team mates and of course goats and it seems as though he will be an altogether more comfortable human in his life off the bike, post-career. All the best to him, and the rest of the outgoing class of 2023 - they will all be missed.

We’ve recorded episodes of On Yer Bike talking about the careers of both Annemiek van Vleuten and Peter Sagan as they move on from cycling - have a listen (links at the top of the newsletter).

THE LAST WORD

Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far! And welcome to all my new subscribers - it’s great to have you on board. All my content, both these newsletters and on the website, will always be free to read, but if you have enjoyed this or any of the other content from me, please consider supporting independent cycling journalism and content by buying me a coffee, purchasing an item from my online store, or upgrading your site membership to one of the paid tiers - featuring thank you gifts!

Until next time, when full focus will be on cyclocross, I bid you, and the 2023 cycling season, a fond farewell.

Cheers,
Katy

PS Oops forgot to mention the next newsletter will be a few days late as I’m off on holiday to France! On y va!