Of Mergers and Men

Welcome welcome, to this first newsletter of October, as we hurtle inexorably towards the end of the road season (noooooo!) and the start of cyclocross season proper (yaaaay!) and quite honestly, I’m a bit scared of what will become of me when there isn’t a full menu of delicious bike-based treats for me to select from on a daily basis, but equally, I’m also relishing the prospect of looking back on the season as a whole, all packaged up with a neat shiny bow, and seeing which bits really stood out, and just generally reminiscing and taking stock.

There will be at least one piece over on the website looking back on the season, so keep your eyes peeled for those, and speaking of the website…

ON THE WEBSITE THIS WEEK:

NEWS PAGE LAUNCH - if you like to keep up with the latest cycling news but can’t keep track of all the different sources, consider bookmarking https://writebikerepeat.com/news/ - I’ll be rounding up the latest stories all in one place.

VAN VLEUTEN’S LEGACY - this week’s main article is a look back at the uncompromising character of Annemiek van Vleuten. Considering what it takes to be a champion, and ruminating on what this kind of mindset might mean for us regular humans. Worth a look if for no other reason than to admire the wonderful bespoke artwork produced for the piece by Dutch artist Anouk Verhoeks.

NEWS DIGEST

A round-up of the major stories from the past two weeks…

TOP STORY - Merger rumours gather pace amid transfer merry-go-round

I almost hesitate to write this as the situation changes daily - so perhaps it’s best to begin with a recap.

TIMELINE OF CHAOS!

24 Sep - reports emerge of a potential merger between Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep. Patrick Lefevre has made no secret of his desire to offload ownership of the team, and with Jumbo stepping down as title sponsor at the end of 2024, the Dutch team are on the look-out for investment.

25-27 Sep - everyone in the cycling world has their say. Speculation is rife and there are more questions than answers: how will they choose 30 riders from the 50 contracted in 2024? Will it happen by 2024, or not? What will happen to the women’s teams? What about the staff? What will happen to the leftover world tour license? Which bike brand will they use?

28 Sep - Wielerflits reports that Primož Roglič is set to leave Jumbo-Visma, adding fuel to the fire. Throughout the course of the day he’s linked with several teams, with Ineos, Movistar and Lidl-Trek looking most likely to secure his signature.

29 Sep - Amazon are reported to be replacing Jumbo as title sponsor for the Dutch side. With a 15 million Euro cash injection, it would seem to render the idea of a merger moot, yet according to the article on In de Leiderstrui, it still appears to on the table.

29 Sep - Movistar rule themselves out of the running in the Roglic transfer saga, saying he has already signed for a rival team

30 Sep - Patrick Lefevre writes in his column in Het Nieuwsblad confirmation of whether or not the merger will go ahead will be announced on Monday (2^nd ).

Roglič confirms prior to the Giro dell’Emilia that he will definitely leave Jumbo-Visma at the end of the 2023 season.

1 Oct - French journal Le Soir reports that Soudal-QuickStep are preparing to send letters of termination to staff on Monday 2^nd October.

As I write today, Monday 2^nd October, there has, as yet, been no further news. Sanny Rudravajhala and I explore the topic of the possible merger, the background behind it, and what it could mean for the sport, in the latest episode of the On Yer Bike podcast… have a listen, wherever you get your podcasts.

In other news…

VAN HOOYDONCK’S ROLLERCOASTER

Following heart complications, and a car crash which ended with him in hospital, Nathan Van Hooydonck was forced to call time on his career prematurely, after having to have a pacemaker fitted. It’s a cruel blow for a rider who has been a linchpin of the Jumbo-Visma team both in the classics and at the Tour de France for the past two seasons, and who has ridden selflessly and tirelessly, without the opportunity to go for his own chances.

In the same week as his early retirement, he and his wife Alicia welcomed a baby into the world. The arrival of Alessio felt like the most perfect and timely news, particularly given the fact the couple lost a son, Thiago, to stillbirth just last year.

Young riders set for big future

In the same week British road star Cat Ferguson signed a long-term development deal with Movistar, Dutch off-road sensation Lauren Molengraaf secured a three-team deal to continue pursuing her goals in cyclocross and mountain biking, alongside developing her road racing. It’s a unique arrangement that offers the rider the chance to target all three disciplines - I love it on so many levels, but it’s also interesting to see how it will turn out in the long-run.

And finally…

• The Adriatica Ionica Race (22-24 Sep) was sadly cancelled the day before it began - a disaster for many riders and teams who had already travelled to the race.

• Bolton Equities Black Spoke announced the withdrawal of their title sponsor at the end of the season. It’s another major blow for cycling funding, and for the team who made the step up to Pro level just this season.

•  Retirements aplenty, with Peter Sagan, Mikael Cherel, Laurent Pichon and Matthieu Ladagnous among the riders hanging up their cleats this past fortnight.

• And plenty more signings - see the News page for a few of the most recent ones, including a long-awaited update on Mark Cavendish’s future in the peloton (all signs point to YES!)

IL LOMBARDIA PREVIEW: The curtain falls, and so do the leaves

There’s less than a week of the road cycling season left and the traditional final event of the season, at least in terms of the European calendar, is the fifth of cycling’s monuments, Il Lombardia. Otherwise known as the ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’, it’s a beautiful race with a rich history, and this season it looks set to deliver, with the potential for a barnstorming end to the 2023 season.

While the route varies year on year, with Como and Bergamo alternating as start and finish locations, and various climbs being substituted in and out of the parcours, it’s always a tough challenge, with the most climbing metres of any of the monuments - this year features over 4,400m of altitude gain, though it’s often featured almost 5,000m of ascent.

The direction of travel and which of the collection of Lombardian hills are tackled has made little difference to Tadej Pogačar. He has won the past two editions from solo attacks and will attempt the hat-trick this year, but he will find himself going head-to-head with another rider who enjoys a long-range solo effort, Remco Evenepoel.

After Pogačar’s early crash at this year’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege, cycling fans were denied their opportunity to finally see the two face off in a major race (outside of races in which they ride for their national teams) so it will be interesting to see how they match up. Also present, Primoz Roglič, fresh from conquering the Giro dell’Emilia (and beating Pogačar in the process); Ben Healy, another rider who can both climb and is prone to attacking from a long-range solo, and plenty of other strong contenders, and what we have in store is a seriously good race.

Don’t miss it - on Sunday 8th October.

RACING ROUND-UP

It’s been a highly imbalanced fortnight in terms of men’s and women’s racing, as you’ll see below - let’s begin with a look back at the Euros…

FOCUS ON: European Championships, Drenthe (20-24 Sep)

The European road championships have come and gone and we have crowned several new champions, who will wear the white jersey with blue and gold design for the year ahead. In the time trials, there was success for Great Britain with Zoe Backstedt in the women’s U23 event and Josh Tarling taking some significant scalps in the men’s elite event at the age of just 19, proving his immense talent. The event was tarnished by the crash of Stefan Kung, but thankfully despite the terrible sight of him bloodied and unsteady as he crossed the line, he has since reported he is safe and well and recovering at home. The women’s time trial was won by Marlen Reusser, and France were victorious in the mixed team time trial relay.

The road races took in several loops incorporating the Col du Vam or VAM-berg, the man-made ascent constructed on a landfill site, and it made for exciting and unpredictable racing in both the men’s and women’s races.

With the Netherlands heavily favoured for the win in the women’s race, it wasn’t surprising that the win came from within the home nation, but the result was not one which many would have predicted - though it came from the team that have claimed two-thirds of WWT wins this year. SD Worx’ Mischa Bredewold was the champion, and a well-deserved one after a strong ride and a late breakaway which the rest of the pack were unable to close down.

In the men’s race, it was an exciting and unpredictable race but ultimately, it was France who took control, through a long-range solo effort from Christophe Laporte. With a select group giving chase, including Van Aert and De Lie of Belgium, it came down to the wire, with Laporte’s gap diminishing to nothing on the final ascent of the Col du Vam, only for him to deliver one final attack on the rise up to the finish line, enough to seal the win for France with the Belgians hot on his heels. Van Aert was second, and Olav Kooij third for the Netherlands, completing a 1-2-3 for Team Jumbo-Visma.

MEN - STAGE RACES

The Skoda Tour of Luxembourg (20-24 Sep) boasted a strong field of riders, and a nicely balanced parcours. Stage 1 finished in a sprint, although after a hilly day it should potentially have been a bit more reduced than it ended up being - but a cagey peloton riding defensively didn’t narrow down the numbers in time. Corbin Strong of Israel-Premier Tech powered through to take the win. There were some notable losses too, as Groupama-FDJ leaders David Gaudu and Thibaut Pinot both withdrew through illness and/or lack of form - the latter riding his final stage race of his career. IPT’s Jakob Fuglsang also did not finish.

Stage 2 was the day deemed most likely to end in a bunch sprint, and it was won for Arkea-Samsic through Jenthe Biermans. Søren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took the leader’s jersey. After threatening with a short-lived solo jaunt on stage 2, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) took command on stage 3, executing the kind of long-range solo that’s become synonymous with the Irish champion.

Stage 4 was an individual time trial and despite his breakaway antics of recent seasons and even a mountains jersey earlier this season, Victor Campanaerts (Lotto-DSTNY) reminded everyone of his roots by posting the fastest time to win the stage. Stage 5 featured an exciting, hilly parcours which produced an explosive finale, with Uno-X’s Tobias Johannessen breaking away from a select group to take the final stage win.

And despite not taking a single stage win, UAE Team Emirates managed to complete a 1-2 on GC, with Marc Hirschi winning ahead of Brandon McNulty.

The only pro level race in Malaysia, the Tour de Langkawi (23-30 Sep) featured just two World Tour teams, but while Astana-Qazaqstan’s Gleb Syritsa won two stages, the lion’s share of stage wins went to the Pro Teams. Tudor Pro Cycling’s Arvid de Kleijn also bagged two victories, with Kiwi George Jackson taking one for his team Bolton Equities Black Spoke, one for Caja-Rural courtesy of Daniel Babor, and one for Sasha Weemaes of Human Powered Health. EF Education-EasyPost’s Simon Carr won the general classification.

CRO Race (26 Sep-1 Oct)

Stage 1 of Croatia’s only elite bike race ended in a bunch sprint, with Ineos Grenadiers the beneficiary courtesy of Elia Viviani. Viviani was pipped to the post by Caja Rural’s Iuri Leitao on stage 2. Q36.5 Pro Cycling took stage 3 through Nicolo Parisini, before Stage 4, arguably the toughest of the week, was won from a reduced bunch sprint by Matej Mohorič of Bahrain-Victorious. Stage 5 was won by Orluis Aular of Caja Rural - he secured the red leader’s jersey in the process. Campbell Stewart (Team Jayco-Alula) won stage 6, and Orluis Aular won the general classification despite crashing in the final 100m of the race.

MEN - ONE-DAY RACES

Omloop van het Houtland (20 Sep) was won by Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty). Paris-Chauny (24 Sep) was won by Jasper Philipsen, his 14^th win of the season. The Italian one-day races resumed with the Coppa Agostini (28 Sep) and a loyal servant was given his reward on the day - UAE Team Emirates’ Davide Formolo won the race with his teammate Marc Hirschi in second. Always great to see the domestiques have the opportunity to raise their arms.

Circuit Franco-Belge (28 Sep) was won by Arnaud de Lie (Lotto-DSTNY), who is having a storming finish to the season. The Giro dell’Emilia (30 Sep) boasted a stellar startlist, and the San Luca climb once again proved that it is one of the most underrated circuits on the cycling calendar, encouraging explosive racing up its formidable gradients. It was the first meeting of the two kings of Slovenia, Tadej Pogačar and Primoz Roglič, since the 2022 Tour de France, and amid a cloud of speculation over his destination following his confirmation that he would leave Jumbo-Visma, it was the elder Slovene who took the spoils, using his superior skill attacking up steep pitches to storm to victory, in his first one-day race of the season.

In the Famenne Ardenne Classic (1 Oct), newly crowned European champion Christophe Laporte and Soudal-QuickStep’s Yves Lampaert (possible future teammates, if the merger were to come to fruition) rode clear for a while but they were reeled by in, in an lively and attacking race.

It still came down to a sprint, and in one of the most bizarre finals in recent memory Lotto-DSTNY’s Arnaud de Lie took the win, despite unclipping from one of his pedals, and powering over the line one-footed. How he stayed upright, let alone threw the bike - yes, he actually threw his bike at the line - is completely beyond me, not to mention the sheer power injection that put him so far clear of Kaden Groves and the rest that he was able to maintain his lead. An incredible finish, and one to go back and watch again and again. Two wins in two days for one of the riders of the season.

Tour de Vendee (1 Oct) was Peter Sagan’s final road race, and he was able to secure his final top 10 position though the win went to Arnaud Démare, a perfectly timed sprint to his first victory for Arkéa-Samsic since his mid-season transfer to the team. Groupama-FDJ’s Paul Penhoët takes the overall victory in the Coupe de France, a significant achievement for the 21-year-old sprinter.

WOMEN

Outside of the Euros, it’s been a quiet couple of weeks for the women’s peloton, which does somewhat beg the question - why was the schedule so congested in May? There’s been just one race, the Giro dell’Emilia (30 Sep), which was won by Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, ahead of her team mate Marta Cavalli, in a 1-2 that looks refreshingly different from the usual SD Worx whitewash.

THE LAST WORD

That’s all we have time for this week, as it’s been a hectic period full of speculation, rumours and racing, and with the road season close to its end, I think we will all be ready for a nice lie down. Having said that, something tells me it’s going to be anything but a quiet off-season.

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Until next time, au revoir mes amis!

Katy