Of track, and cross, and other things

Hey there cycling fans, and also SURPRISE! I know I told you not to expect me in your inbox again until early November, but I realised it would be really a very long time without any updates, and it’s been a busy week over on the website so I wanted to share with you the range of new articles that I’ve shared, along with a mini news and results update to keep you going until I’m back from my French vacances next week.

Let’s begin with a run-down of all the new articles that have been published for your delectation.

First up, there’s an interview with AG2R Citroen’s American Larry Warbasse – he shares the story of his journey to AG2R, considers the revival of the US cycling presence in the pro peloton, and discusses his favourite races and teammates.

Next, and in a positive step towards more coverage of other cycling disciplines, resident track expert Emma Bianchi has produced a trio of pieces about the UCI Track Champions League. She gives a run-down of the background to the League, and details on the format and venues, alongside a helpful guide to track cycling for the beginner, in her first piece:

The second part is a run-down of the individual participants in the League, with star ratings and in-depth data analysis – get to know who’s who, and see who are the underdogs and who are the top dogs, as you grow to love this exciting and unique competition over the next few weeks – spoiler alert: she’s been pretty spot on so far!

She also wrote a review of the action at the first round of the TCL in Mallorca last weekend – if you want to get up to speed with what’s happened so far, before the next round this weekend in Berlin, this is your go-to resource.

Additionally, I put out a call for pitches for emerging writers in the field of pro cycling – if you or anyone you know has a story you think would be suitable for the site, please get in touch (see post for pitching guidelines).

Just one episode of the On Yer Bike podcast since I last wrote to you, and it covers various news stories from around the world of cycling in a snappy, shorter format which might become a regular feature if people enjoy it – please feel free to let us know your thoughts, and leave a review and five stars on your podcast platform of choice if you enjoy it – it really helps boost our visibility.

NEWS! GET YOUR NEWS!

It hasn’t even been a fortnight, and there’s still plenty to report on from the world of cycling. Here are some of the main headlines – but it’s just a mini update for today so for more information on these and other stories, please head to the News page on the website.

Grand Tour routes revealed!

After the recent Giro d’Italia route announcement, the Tour de France was hot on its heels with a live presentation from Paris this Wednesday, during which the full routes for both the men’s and women’s editions of the race for 2024 were revealed.

INEOS announce things!

The biggest team to have revealed absolutely nothing so far this off-season, the INEOS Grenadiers have finally started drip-feeding us news of their team for 2024 in the last week. Geraint Thomas and Carlos Rodriguez have both extended their contracts at the team, with G signing on for two more years and Rodriguez committing his future to the team with a four-year deal.

The team also announced the arrival of young off-road talent AJ August. The American cyclocross star was heavily linked with the team over the summer but it was officially announced this week that the 18-year-old will begin his pro career with the team in 2024, having signed a three-year contract.

STOP PRESS! They have also added Oscar Rodriguez from Movistar today; the 28-year-old Spaniard adds depth to their climbing support.

Team Jayco Alula women’s roster announced!

GreenEdge Cycling’s women’s branch confirmed its merger with Liv Racing TeqFind this week and with it a new name – Liv Alula Jayco. They confirmed a 16-rider roster for the 2024 season, including 5 riders transferring across from Liv, with Mavi Garcia the most significant.

Bitesize chunks of news YUM!

- All-new cycling ‘super league’ proposal on the table

- Remco Evenepoel may ride Giro-Tour double

- Egan Bernal hopes to target Vuelta GC in 2024

Read more details on all of these over at the news page on the site.

RACING RESULTS ROUND-UP

Well, it’s a brave new world we find ourselves in, with no road racing to report on – these sections may be shorter, but there will still be coverage – as we have cyclocross to talk about!

While the season kicked off back in September, and there has been action in various national leagues, I will be focusing on the top level races in this newsletter – UCI World Cups, and the two other major season-long leagues, the Superprestige and X2O Badkamers Trofee. Along with European championships and Worlds, of course.

So, where are we up to? The first World Cup round took place in Waterloo (15 Oct) and the victors were Fem van Empel and Thibau Nys. With Puck Pieterse making a few uncharacteristic errors, van Empel took the win convincingly. The Jumbo-Visma rider has already racked up four wins so far this season, as she hits the ground running. While it’s great to see the World Champion looking so strong, it will also be great to see her main rivals come into form as the main bulk of the racing kicks off, to ensure it’s not a season of total dominance off-road, as we’ve experienced with SD Worx on the road this season.

On the men’s side, it was a coup for U23 World Champion Thibau Nys, riding his first season at elite level in the World Cup, to take his very first win at the first possible opportunity. Eli Iserbyt missed out in Waterloo as a broken shoe cost him time, and the early-season rivalry between these two is already providing excellent entertainment as the presence of Nys really levels the playing field between the two top teams.

DON’T MISS: This rivalry played out in the best possible way at the Superprestige in Overijse (22 Oct), with a barnstormer of a battle between Pauwels Sauzen Bingoal and Baloise Trek Lions. While Iserbyt led solo for much of the race, seemingly intent on putting his bad luck to bed after the incident in Waterloo, Lars van der Haar helped Thibau Nys back to the front runner, with Michael Vantourenhout tagging along to help his teammate Iserbyt.

The front group of four produced fireworks in the final few laps, with Nys and Iserbyt eventually breaking away, but on the final lap Nys made a break to try and attack Iserbyt and ended up crashing – a risk that was both thrilling and ultimately, his undoing. Eli Iserbyt sealed the win and we await the next battle between the current in-form crossers with bated breath. Go back and catch this one if you can, it was well worth the watch.

NEXT UP: The second round of the UCI CX World Cup round at Maasmechelen is next on the cards this weekend (29 Oct) before the European Championships the following weekend at Pontchâteau in France (4-5 Nov).

Still on the fence about ‘cross? Don’t worry - the best bit of the season is yet to come. December is the spiciest month, with the period from mid-November through to the World Championships at the beginning of February containing the bulk of the big races and classic courses. Don’t forget, if you’re still undecided and want to know ‘what’s in it for me?’ you can check out my cyclocross sales pitch, here:

I’m also thrilled to announce that I’m featuring once again this year as a contributor to the Road Book, the incredible almanack of the cycling year, curated by Ned Boulting. My essay on the 2022-23 cyclocross season documents one of the most explosive seasons in recent history - official artwork available to view below!

THE LAST WORD

That’s all from me for now, it’s a shorter than usual instalment but that’s probably OK, given the sheer volume of stuff that needed to be discussed in the last newsletter. I’m heading to France for my own off-season travels but normal service will resume in early November.

Until then, thanks for reading, and once again a warm welcome to new subscribers – thanks for coming on this journey with me. As always, my content is free to read, but if you’re enjoying it and would like to support independent cycling journalism and content please consider buying me a coffee, purchasing an item from my online store, or upgrading your site membership to one of the paid tiers – you will be richly rewarded with discount codes for cycling-adjacent businesses alongside free gifts (for certain tiers). And also I would be forever grateful. So there’s that.

À bientôt, mes amis!

Merci beaucoup,

Katy (French mode engaged)