More downs than ups

Hey there cycling fans, hope you’re all well out there, wherever you are in the world. It’s been quite the two weeks for all things two-wheeled, and quite honestly, I’m not quite sure where to start. In the last newsletter I wrote about Wout van Aert crashing out at Dwars Door Vlaanderen, and changing the shape of Classics season. Little did I know that since then, the shape of Grand Tour season would also be much altered, following the horrific crash at Itzulia Basque Country last week.

It's impossible to know which way this sport is going to take us week on week, and from worrying over the health of some of our favourite riders to marvelling at the greatness on display as another two memorable editions of Paris-Roubaix unfolded, I can’t recall two more significant weeks in cycling, to be honest. Read on for in-depth analyses of all these key events, along with all the usual results, news and other bits and bobs.

ON THE SITE

There’s plenty to get your teeth into on the site this week. First up, I reacted to the spate of serious crashes that has impacted our sport this year. I consider the human and emotional fallout in this piece.

Paris-Roubaix is a race that defies expectation, and produces many stories, regardless of how predictable - on paper at least - the two winners ended up being. In my women’s race report I reflect on how the race, with its bold attacks, unpredictable finale, and joyous results, was exactly what we needed, in a turbulent week.

My men’s report was a little different, as what else can you say to Mathieu van der Poel’s ridiculously impressive rider other than ‘wow’? I’ll tell you what. You can compare Alpecin-Deceuninck to a set of knives, find several ways to call MVDP a legend, then give some space to consider the riders who had their own stories on the day, and why every one of them is important.

Both pieces feature exclusive photography from Justin Britton, so make sure to check them out and view his stunning shots.

THE LIGHTER SIDE

Sadly, it’s been yet another week in which we need a little cheering up. Thankfully, cycling still provides happy moments even when it seems like things are pretty rough. Check this out -

When you’re a cyclist recovering from traumatic injuries, it’s important to have a sense of humour. This thread, which began as a mocking take on the media’s tendency to document the most insignificant details of the life of its subjects, resulted in a great exchange between Thomas de Gendt and Wout van Aert himself.

For the non-Dutch speakers, the opening post asks ‘hey media, are you sleeping? Wout van Aert went for a walk with his son and I have to discover it myself via Strava?!?’

De Gendt added: ‘apparently he also took a bath’. You can see Wout’s response, translated below.

I have set up a little side project, entirely dedicated to pro cyclists and their dogs. If you’re on Twitter, follow @cyclistsanddogs for daily joy.

Translation software is hilarious, version 396 (read the comments for some amusing takes on the name):

And finally, did you SEE EF’s cobbled classics kit? What a beauty!

NEWS! HERE IS SOME NEWS!

There’s not actually a whole lot of news to bring you this week, unless you count various team updates over the injuries of numerous riders following the many accidents that have befallen our beloved peloton over the past couple of weeks. Perhaps it’s best to begin with some of these. I’ve listed the injuries from the crash at Itzulia in the article above, so these updates are just what we have learned since then.

• One of the worst affected in the crash, Jay Vine (two fractured vertebrae) did not need surgery, and has taken a few steps since the accident. His recovery is going well

•  Jonas Vingegaard had surgery on a pneumothorax and collarbone and is recovering well. It’s not clear how long this will take.

• Primož Roglič suffered multiple abrasions after two crashes on successive days and withdrew from the race – he is back on the indoor trainer

• Remco Evenepoel underwent surgery on his broken collarbone

• Lennard Kämna – who was seriously injured after he was hit by a car while on training camp in Tenerife – is in a stable condition following his injuries - severe chest trauma with rib fractures and lung contusion. He has left the intensive care unit and been transferred to the normal ward

• STOP PRESS: as of this afternoon we’ve had another update from Wout van Aert (beyond simply the sandwich-based news) - he is recovering well but has confirmed that he will not take part in the Giro d’Italia. He will be replaced in the team by Christophe Laporte

TRANSFER NEWS? ALREADY?!

Er, yeah I know. It’s April. Why are we already talking about transfers? And also, why are the only transfers we are talking about from Groupama-FDJ to other teams? It is a question worth considering, as Lenny Martinez looks set to tie his future to Team Bahrain-Victorious, and Laurence Pithie has been all but confirmed as signing for Bora-Hansgrohe. The French team have an excellent development system and an eye for talent, yet it looks as though arguably their two stars of the season so far will be on the way out for the 2025 season. Not a great situation for the team, who are having a strong start to the season largely because of these two riders.

IN OTHER NEWS…

• Lotte Kopecky will ride the Giro d’Italia Women – the World Champion was confirmed for the race this week by Team SD Worx-ProTime manager, Danny Stam

• The WHOOP UCI Mountain Biking World Series gets underway this weekend in Mairapora, Brazil

• Marijn Zeeman will leave Team Visma-Lease A Bike after over a decade with the team. Zeeman will transfer his talents to Dutch football club, AZ Alkmaar, as their Sports Director

• A woman who appeared to throw her hat at Mathieu van der Poel’s wheels during Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, has vowed to turn herself in. The woman was a VIP guest at the race. The rider’s union the CPA filed a complaint against the woman on the grounds of ‘endangering others at risk of death or infirmity.’

ROAD RACING RESULTS ROUND-UP

In a fortnight that has contained two cobbled Monuments, there’s been plenty of other racing – read on for results and analysis.

At the Route Adélie Vitré (29 Mar), Jenthe Biermans (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) came through to win a small bunch sprint as the leading group closed in on three late escapees including David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ). The Coupe de France round was a really fun race, dynamic and unpredictable – worth a watch.

Brandon McNulty won the GP Miguel Indurain (30 Mar) ahead of Maxim van Gils (Lotto-Dstny) and Oscar Onley (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL).

Alpecin-Deceuninck took first and third place at the Volta NXT Classic (30 Mar) (formerly Volta Limburg Classic), to give the team their second win in as many years. Timo Kielich was the victor, and Henri Uhlig third, with Lotto-Dstny’s Pascal Eenkhoorn separating them in second place.

The TOUR OF FLANDERS took place on Sunday 31 March. Have you heard of it? It’s quite a big race in Belgium.

Yes of course, it’s the second Monument of the year, and what a memorable day it was. In wet conditions, two chaotic races played out, and the winners were Mathieu van der Poel, who attacked on the Koppenberg with 50km still to race, to ride solo to victory, and Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), who was able to beat Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) in a three-up sprint for the line (her teammate Shirin van Anrooij the third member of the trio). It was a race in part defined by the Koppenberg itself, as despite the more famous duo of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, it was the fierce gradient and slippery cobbles of the Koppenberg that proved decisive in both races, with many riders forced to dismount and walk up the climb.

The women weren’t immune either…

Read more about how the races played out over at the site.

Human Powered Health sprinter Daria Pikulik won the Ronde van Mouscron (1 Apr).

The unofficial sprinter’s World Championship, the one-day Belgian Classic Scheldeprijs (3 Apr), saw a predictable winner for the women in the shape of Lorena Wiebes – her fourth win in a row at the race – and a win for Tim Merlier in the men’s race – predictable, perhaps, given his form this season, though Jasper Philipsen was favourite given his recent record at the race.

Itzulia Basque Country (1-6 Apr)

Always a dynamic and unpredictable race, the week-long stage race in the Basque Country boasted a stellar GC line-up for its 2024 edition, which began with a 10km time trial on stage 1. Following a disappointing showing in Paris-Nice, Primož Roglič showed he was well and truly back by winning the ITT, even despite going the wrong way at the finish. Remco Evenepoel came in an impressive 3^rd given he slid out and crashed part way through his run.

Stage 2 was one of the few chances for the sprinters, though there were very few of them at the race to contend the fast finish in Kanbo. The late stages of the race were fraught with crashes, leaving the way clear for Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale’s in-form Paul Lapeira to sprint to his first World Tour victory.

Stage 3 was defined in part by crashes, as Primož Roglič came down heavily and Juan Ayuso also crashed in the late stages of the race, which was won by Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Quinten Hermans.

If stage 3 was defined in part by crashes, stage 4 was defined entirely by them. I’ve referred to the crash several times elsewhere and no doubt you’ll have read all about it if you weren’t watching as it happened (doing so was one of the worst experiences of my life as a cycling fan) so I will not go into any further detail here. Safe to say, Intermarche-Wanty’s Louis Meintjes’ stage victory was vastly overshadowed by the events of the day.

With a field almost entirely devoid of pure bunch sprinters, stage 5 was a pretty open race, but it was Groupama-FDJ’s Romain Grégoire who raised his arms after a thrillingly tight finale.

The sixth and final stage was won by INEOS Grenadiers’ Carlos Rodriguez. With multiple battles playing out across the roads of Eibar, a dynamic finale to the race saw Rodriguez take the stage win while UAE Team Emirates put themselves in the driving seat, with Juan Ayuso snatching victory in the GC from Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek).

The four-stage Région Pays de la Loire Tour (2-5 Apr) featured a show of strength from EF Education-EasyPost and their leader Marijn van den Berg, who bookended the race with wins on stages 1 and 4, along with the GC. Stage 2 was won by the in-form Breton rider Ewen Costiou (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), and stage 3 was a sprint won by Alberto Dainese (Tudor Pro Cycling Team)

The Tour of Thailand (1-6 Apr) is also a 2.1 race and featured a GC win for Adne van Engelen of the Thai-based Roojai Insurance team. Van Engelen did not win a stage but was best overall, stage winners were, from 1-6: Lucas Carstenen also of Roojai Insurance; Aiman Rosli of Malaysia’s Terengganu Cycling team, Peerapol Chawchiangkwang (Thailand Continental Cycling Team), Jesse Ewart (Terengganu), Nati Samansanti (Grant Thornton Cycling Team) and Nicholas Kergozou (St George Continental CT).

Head to the Global Peloton blog run by occasional writebikerepeat contributor, Dan Challis to learn more about this race –

The revived Giro d’Abruzzo is currently underway 9-12 April and features just two World Tour teams, with the favourite undoubtedly Adam Yates of UAE Team Emirates. The first stage went to a sprint finish which was won by Enrico Zanoncello of VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè. 19-year-old Jan Christen of UAE Team Emirates took his first pro win on stage 2, and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan Team) pipped the UAE pair of Diego Ulissi and Adam Yates to victory on stage 3. I’ll wrap that one up in the next newsletter.

FOCUS ON: De Brabantse Pijl (10 Apr)

Elisa Longo Borghini and Benoît Cosnefroy were the winners of the 2024 editions of the aperitif to the Ardennes Classics, De Brabantse Pijl (La Flèche Brabançonne).

With the Van der Poel domination of the cobbled Monuments fresh in our memories, these races were a true breath of fresh air – exciting, dynamic, and ever-shifting, the ups and downs of the Ardennes are beckoning, and this race provides a figurative and literal bridge between the cobbled Flemish Classics and the hillier Ardennes, crossing both the Flemish and Walloon Brabant.

It's a race that has provided entertainment year on year and this year was no different – it also served as a bit of an antidote to some of the dominance narratives that have been – well, dominating the media and the racing itself. The women’s peloton has been suffering under SD Worx dominion – at least in 2023 – though 2024 has proven to be somewhat more unpredictable so far, with Lidl-Trek providing a worthy rival to the Dutch team. This was proven again on Wednesday as in-form Elisa Longo Borghini, winner of the Tour of Flanders, was able to power clear of Tour de France Femmes winner Demi Vollering (SD Worx) to ride solo to victory.

The men’s race was even more wide open, and it’s one of those races that warrants watching from start to finish, of the available coverage at least. With attacks going out and being brought back, it was anybody’s guess who would take the win at the end of the day, and if there’s one race to go back and watch again, I’d recommend this one (well, this and Paris-Roubaix Femmes!)

In the end, a group of favourites moved clear, including Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates), Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech), Benoît Cosnefroy (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) and Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost). When Van den Berg pushed on solo with just over 1km remaining it looked if perhaps the race was sewn up, but heading into the final drag up to the line, the chasing group caught and passed him, and Cosnefroy was able to sprint for the win – his first at the race, despite finishing in the top ten on every participation and on the podium in three of his past four. It was a worthy 4th place finish for British youngster Joseph Blackmore (Israel-Premier Tech) too - the 21-year-old has already won three GCs so far this year and is having a truly break-out season.

All in all a fantastic day of racing.  

FINAL THOUGHT

What a two weeks. It’s just crazy how many ups and downs you can experience all because of a little thing called sport. I have written so many words over the past week or two that I think I’ll just give myself a rest, and instead leave you with a section from my piece ‘The Line’ (link above to read in full) exploring some of the possible reasons behind the recent spate of terrible crashes.

Shifting Gears – modern racing and the increase in danger

Beyond technical and logistical factors, a relative shift in mentality and its subsequent impact on racing style may warrant exploration. It’s no secret that since the return of racing following the covid-19 break in 2020, the sport has seen a noticeable shift in terms of racing style, with attacks coming earlier and earlier, and speeds pushing higher and higher; course records are falling, as races are completed in record time not just once or twice, but consistently. There's not just a desire but seemingly a desperation to win, at every point in the race: to be first to that narrow turn, first onto the cobbled sector, first up a significant climb. These pinch points that were always dangerous seem somehow worse than before, less controlled, with greater risks being taken, and less care for the potential outcomes.

Has there been a shift in mentality that is driving riders to make more reckless decisions, to push themselves beyond the limits of what is safe? Professional cycling, like many sports, has always been a game of brinkmanship, of testing the limits, whether of endurance, will, the machine, or the body itself, but all too often of late it seems to go beyond and place the human body in harm’s way. Perhaps it is borne out of the best of this generation, ridiculously talented, driving each other to new and greater highs, while the rest scramble desperately to cling on as races that in the past would likely have been within their reach, now seem like impossible dreams, even as they ride them.

And though recency bias may suggest that it’s all the sport's main characters being affected, there is perhaps some meaning to the fact that team leaders and GC favourites are the ones coming down. In races over the past few years these big names are front and centre, attacking one another, not being hidden from view, shielded by the additional armour of their teammates until the last moment, as they once were. The phrase 'protected rider' no longer means what it once meant. It now stands for the aggressor, the primacy of the alpha. Riders like Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel have been animating races with their fearless riding style and it’s drawing the big names out earlier and earlier, as the business end of the racing slips backwards to become the business middle; the aggressive, all-action, high-octane approach undoubtedly bringing with it a greater level of risk. Though we are indeed entertained, it’s a fine line between pushing just enough, and pushing beyond the limit.

THE LAST WORD – HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

While this newsletter celebrated its first birthday way back in September 2023, my brand new and improved website turned the big ONE just this week. I reflected on the site’s growth, and invited a range of contributors to share their favourite moments from the last 12 months in cycling, in this special birthday post –

There is also much love and thanks in there from me to you, as readers of my work (and the work of the others on the site); you are the reason I do this, so please accept this short version – THANK YOU SO MUCH – and feel free to head to the post to read the long version, if the mood takes you. I genuinely couldn’t do it without you. Or at least, I could… but it would be a bit weird and pointless.

So please keep reading so I don’t feel like I’m just shouting into an empty room!And as always if you enjoy what I do and would like to support me, you can do so in the form of a Ko-Fi – all donations gratefully received.

Until next time, when we will be looking back on the Ardennes Classics and ahead to the Giro (um, WHAT?) can everyone just stay on their bikes please? It’s not too much to ask is it?

Cheers,
Katy