EUROTRASH Thursday: Armstrong Still in the News & Everything Else You Need to Know

No racing, but a very full EUROTRASH Thursday with all the pre-season news:

TOP STORY:

• Former Lance Armstrong domestique knew nothing about doping

Rider news:

• Mathieu van der Poel has a wish for this year
• Tom Pidcock to have an alternative start to the season
• Wout van Aert starts his road season in Spain, Giro back on the program
• Tom Boonen points out Remco Evenepoel’s problem
• Julian Alaphilippe, it’s not all about numbers
• Jai Hindley has not lost his self-confidence after a poor season
• Jasper De Buyst must learn to live with post-covid asthma
• Victor Campenaerts’ spring programme
• Max Poole to ride the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España
• David Gaudu to ride the Giro d’Italia for the first time
• Mathieu van der Poel will ‘stop in time’ as a professional cyclist
• Wout van Aert is not afraid of deep puddles
• Fabio Jakobsen is 4 kilos lighter
• Anna Shackley forced to retire after ‘horrific’ surgery
• Mathieu van der Poel changes approach towards De Ronde van Vlaanderen
• Chris Froome comes up with ‘simple’ solution for safety
• Casper van Uden to make his Grand Tour debut in the Giro d’Italia

Team news:

• Mikel Landa to Race the Giro d’Italia for Soudal Quick-Step
• Walter Planckaert leaves Team Flanders-Baloise after twenty years
• Fabio Jakobsen and Frank van den Broek are selected for the Picnic PostNL’s Tour team
• Olav Kooij and Wout van Aert to go to the Giro together in 2025 for Visma | Leae a Bike
• fizik joins forces with UAE Emirates XRG and UAE TEAM ADQ
• Rapha and EF Pro Cycling unveil 2025 team kits
• British Cycling says grazie to new official on-bike clothing partner Alé

Race news:

• Muscat Classic/Tour of Oman 2025: Two races, infinite challenges
• CIC-Mont Ventoux might happen in 2025

One large EUROTRASH coffee.
 

TOP STORY: Former Lance Armstrong Domestique Knew Nothing about Doping
Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven times. The cycling world was at his feet, but after a doping confession the American lost everything and has been shunned by many in cycling. José Azevedo rode with Armstrong for two years, but according to the Portuguese climber there was never any doping culture.

This is a strange statement from the now 51-year-old Azevedo, given all that has come out about Armstrong and his former teammates of the US Postal team. Azevedo, who rode for the American team from 2004 to 2006 and was very important to Armstrong in the mountains, is not aware of any wrongdoing in an interview with the Portuguese newspaper O Jogo.

“It doesn’t worry me. I am proud of the path I have taken as a cyclist. I am proud of the fact that during my career I also rode for ONCE, under the leadership of Manolo Sainz, who also had his problems. And later at US Postal and Discovery Channel, as a teammate of Lance Armstrong and with Johan Bruyneel as team leader. I learned a lot from them in the field of cycling.”

Azevedo says he never saw anything suspicious or strange during his years with the team. “I only know that Armstrong used banned substances, because he said so himself. Because I never saw it. I also never came into contact with doping substances within the team. I never noticed anything, never saw anything. I had my task within the team, my competition calendar, my responsibilities. I knew my place and what was expected of me: to help Armstrong win.”

“Riders are often at home, because that is where they train,” the former rider pointed out. “I don’t know what other people do at home. I can only speak for myself. I will never say anything bad about Armstrong, because as a person and as a teammate he was, for me, the best there is. He never behaved like a star and always had respect for us.”

“Now it is seen as the biggest fraud in cycling. Everyone is free to judge. I still have a lot of respect and admiration for Armstrong. Despite the mistakes he made, we must not forget that he had a lot of potential as an athlete. Otherwise it would not be worth training. Then everyone could become a champion.”

After his career as a professional cyclist, Azevedo stayed in cycling. He was a team manager at RadioShack for many years and then Katusha. He currently works for Efapel Cycling, a Continental team in Portugal.

José Azevedo helping George Hincapie, helping Lance Armstrong:

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Mathieu van der Poel has a Wish for this Year
Does Mathieu van der Poel still have goals? After rainbow jerseys in cyclocross, road and gravel, Van der Poel hopes to be World champion on the mountain bike. “If I could choose, I would like to become World champion mountain biker this year. I have not yet succeeded and it keeps playing in the back of my mind. I hope I can achieve this one day,” he told Sporza.

A few years ago, Van der Poel was one of the world’s best mountain bikers, but in recent years his focus has mainly been on the road. However, this does not mean that the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider no longer has ambitions as a mountain biker. He still hopes to be Olympic MTB champion. “I only have one chance for that: Los Angeles 2028”, the next Olympic Games. “LA will almost certainly be the last Games I will participate in. It would be great to try to finish on the mountain bike in Los Angeles.

Van der Poel wants to be MTB World champion:

Tom Pidcock to Have an Alternative Start to the Season
Tom Pidcock will be in action for the first time for his new team Q36.5 Pro Cycling in the AlUla Tour (28 January-1 February), according to Cyclingweekly. The 25-year-old rider has preferred a European start to the season in recent years, but is now switching to the Middle East.

Pidcock’s final race programme is still to be announced, but Cyclingweekly understands that he will be seen in the colours of Q36.5 Pro Cycling for the first time in the five-day AlUla Tour. The British rider started his road campaign in Portugal for the past three seasons with the Volta ao Algarve with INEOS Grenadiers. In 2021, his first professional season, he started his season in the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var.

Pidcock left INEOS Grenadiers, after four years, at the end of last year after some disagreements. There had been rumours for some time about a departure of the two-time Olympic mountain bike champion. Pidcock still had a contract with INEOS Grenadiers until the end of 2027, but both parties decided to part ways by mutual agreement. Pidcock then signed for the Swiss ProTeam, Q36.5 Pro Cycling. “This is not just a change of shirt: it is the start of something special,” said Pidcock at the time. “The opportunity to work with a growing team is something that motivates me. I can’t wait to see what we will achieve together. I know the challenge we face to get where we want to be, but it is an adventure and I am looking forward to it.”

Pidcock to start his season in AlUla:

Wout van Aert Starts his Road Season in Spain, Giro Back on the Program
Wout van Aert has had a successful cyclocross weekend with victories in Gullegem and Dendermonde. But his big goals are still on the road. Het Laatste Nieuws has revealed his ‘probable’ race program for the first half of 2025.

Van Aert will ride his last cyclocross on January 25 in Maasmechelen, his first road race is three weeks later; the Clásica Jaén (February 17), a Spanish race with gravel. Van Aert will then go to Portugal for the Volta ao Algarve (February 19-23), where he won the third stage last year. On March 1, he will start the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. It is not known if he will ride Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2025.

After the opening weekend, he will go on an altitude training camp to Tenerife. There he will prepare for the cobbled Classics: E3 Saxo Classic Harelbeke, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. He will finish his spring on 20th April with the Amstel Gold Race. Van Aert will skip the Strade Bianche and Milan-Sanremo, like last year.

Last year, Van Aert was supposed to ride the Giro after the Classics, but his crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen ended that hope. The plan now is that he will ride the Giro and the Tour de France in 2025.

Wout van Aert’s race schedule:
19.01: UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Benidorm
25.01: UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Maasmechelen
17.02: Clásica Jaén
19.02: Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta
01.03: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite
28.03: E3 Saxo Classic
02.04: Dwars door Vlaanderen – A travers la Flandre
06.04: De Ronde van Vlaanderen
13.04: Paris-Roubaix
20.04: Amstel Gold Race
09.05: Giro d’Italia
05.07: Tour de France.

Hopefully no crashes for Van Aert in the spring:

Tom Boonen Points out Remco Evenepoel’s Problem
According to Tom Boonen, Remco Evenepoel sometimes gets too angry about the racing behaviour of his opponents during the race. Tommeke was a guest on the podcast Stamcafé Koers by Het Nieuwsblad.

In the podcast, Boonen told an anecdote about the Tour of Flanders in 2009. He said that he was shadowed that day by his former teammate Filippo Pozzato, who was riding for Katusha at the time. Boonen was angry about this during the race, but after the finish he understood the Italian’s action.

“He really messed me up that day”, said Boonen, who eventually crossed the finish line in 20th place in De Ronde, which was won by his teammate Stijn Devolder. After the finish he calmed down again. “I get paid to win, he (Pozzato) gets paid to win. And he might also get paid to make me lose. If he gets an order from his boss, I understand that, right? I might have done the same.”

Boonen then spoke about Evenepoel. “That is sometimes the problem with Remco. Remco has a hard time getting rid of that. ‘They are racing against me.’ No, they are racing to win. And because they want to win, you have to lose. I could do that. I could separate the two. You have a race, from start to finish, and then it is over. Everyone has a different interest. You have to be able to set that aside. That has been a strength, that ability to put things into perspective. Although I have sometimes rushed myself on camera. Sometimes it is just too much. But you have to be able to handle that.”

Boonen on Evenepoel:

Jai Hindley has Not Lost his Self-Confidence after a Poor Season
Last year, Jai Hindley didn’t have the best season. The Australian climber started the year with a few good placings, but then the results were disappointing. However, this does not mean that the 28-year-old Tour rider will adjust his ambitions for 2025. “I certainly still have confidence in myself,” he told the AAP news agency.

Hindley, who rides for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, has been very successful in the Grand Tours. The climber came into his own in the 2020 Giro d’Italia: the Australian finished second overall after an exciting battle with Tao Geoghegan Hart. Two years later, in the 2022 Giro, he was the overall winner. In the last two seasons, Hindley has remained far from an overall victory in a Grand Tour, although he did ride a strong Tour de France in 2023. Last season the results, apart from a third place in Tirreno-Adriatico, were disappointing.

It is important for Hindley to recharge his batteries for the new season and he has no lack of self-confidence and ambition. “I certainly still have confidence in myself. I hope to leave 2024 behind me as soon as possible. For various reasons, things just didn’t go as planned, but I think I can still be competitive in the Grand Tours,” he said. Hindley will be riding the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España next season. In the Italian tour, he will ride for his Slovenian team leader Primoz Roglič, but in the Vuelta he will be the GC rider for the team.

Jai Hindley looking for a better 2025 season:

Julian Alaphilippe: It’s Not all About Numbers
After eleven years with Soudal Quick-Step, Julian Alaphilippe will have a new start in 2025. The 32-year-old Frenchman is still ambitious and hopes to bring his new Tudor Pro Cycling team some victories. At the team media day, he looked ahead to 2025 with Het Nieuwsblad.

Alaphilippe is having a new start after eleven seasons with the Belgian team. Why did he go to the team of Fabian Cancellara? “Honestly: WorldTour or not, that never played a role in my mind. I completely followed my feelings. I asked myself the question: ‘What do I want?’ And that is to enjoy cycling in a good structure. The Tudor project simply matches what I want. For now, everything is going well and I am happy. I am convinced that this was the right time to take this step. I needed fresh motivation.”

Alaphilippe certainly doesn’t intend to rest on his laurels. The Classics specialist still has plenty of goals to tick off. “Amstel, Liège, Lombardy, stages in the Tour… those are the races that motivate me. And the Tour of Flanders remains a dream. It is very difficult for me to win the Tour, I know that, but I want to keep trying.”

Alaphilippe will do this ‘his way’, as he does not intend to change it to a different, even more scientific approach. “Non, non. Old school. I do it the same way today as I did ten years ago. I am not going to change that. Nowadays, everything is increasingly about numbers, but I still love racing on instinct. And I will do that until I stop.”

“You can break all kinds of records, but the most important thing is still how you feel on the bike. And what results you achieve of course. Sometimes I see riders looking at their computers right after a race. They don’t care what position they finished in or how the race went. If they’ve broken wattage records, they’re happy. That’s not what cycling is about for me.”

A new adventure of Alaphilippe:

Jasper De Buyst has to Learn to Live with Post-Covid Asthma
Jasper De Buyst had a difficult season in 2024. The 31-year-old Lotto rider discovered that he had developed post-covid asthma. With the help of medication, he can continue to race.

“I struggled with a lot of health problems in 2024,” De Buyst told Sporza. “It turned out afterwards that I had developed post-covid asthma. Certain tests showed that I could lose 35 percent of my lung capacity. That is quite extreme, but it does not have to mean the end of my career. I have to take inhalers every day like any other asthma patient. Of course, I am not the only rider in the peloton with asthma. But it is something that has been added and we are now busy finding the right dosage.”

De Buyst doesn’t have to adjust his race program because of his asthma. “I will normally ride the Classics again, mainly in support of Arnaud De Lie. I want to support him as long as possible. Unlike last year, I will most likely ride the Tour. Last year I was not there because my daughter was born then.”

Jasper De Buyst has asthma:

Victor Campenaerts’ Spring Programme Announced
It was already known that Victor Campenaerts will start his season with Visma | Lease a Bike in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Now the Belgian revealed his spring programme during a New Year’s ride on ROUVY.

The 33-year-old rider will kick off his season in the Flemish opening weekend. Not the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, because Campenaerts’ first race in 2025 will be Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on 2 March. After that he rides Paris-Nice (9-16 March). “A very important time trial awaits me in this tour, a team time trial.”

After the ‘Race to the Sun’, two important spring Classics follow: Milan-Sanremo (22 March) and Gent-Wevelgem (30 March), after which he will be in the north of Spain for the Tour of the Basque Country (7-12 April). He has two other races in the spring of 2025, after the Basque Country he will be at the start of the Amstel Gold Race (20 April) and finally Liège-Bastogne-Liège (27 April).

Campenaerts has not yet made any statements about his further programme, but he has made no secret that he wants to ride the Tour de France. “First get into the Tour de France selection and then win the Tour with Jonas Vingegaard as leader. That will not be easy, Tadej Pogačar also rides very well, but I strongly believe in it.”

Victor Campenaerts’ early season race schedule:
02.03: Kuurne – Brussels – Kuurne
09.03: Paris-Nice
22.03: Milano-Sanremo
30.03: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields
07.04: Itzulia Basque Country
20.04: Amstel Gold Race
27.04: Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

A Classic spring for Campenaerts:

Max Poole to Ride the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España
Max Poole will ride two Grand Tours this year. The 21-year-old British climber is part of the Giro selection of Picnic PostNL as expected, but will also make an appearance in the Vuelta a España in 2025.

The Dutch team announced on Monday at their media day in Calpe, Spain. “We hope that Max will learn a lot from the experience he gains in the Giro, so that with an ideal preparation we can see again how far we can bring him in the final classification of the Vuelta,” Rudi Kemna, head coach of Picnic PostNL, explained on the team website.

We have to wait for the Vuelta team selection, but Kemna spoke about the plan. “It is also a chance for other young talents to make their debut in a Grand Tour and get to know the process of a three-week Tour. Every day we will look for opportunities to achieve the best result.”

Poole was also at the start of the Tour of Spain in 2023 and 2024. Last year he started the three-week Tour as the GC leader, but he crashed and had a few bad days. Poole then went for stage wins and managed to show his talent. A stage win proved to be just a bit too much, but the young climber did have four podium places.

After his strong Vuelta, Poole continued his momentum and won his penultimate race of 2024: the Tour de Langkawi. “It means a lot, especially after a year in which I had to get back to my level. That I’ve achieved this now is really great,” he told WielerFlits after the final stage. “This is good for morale and confidence.”

Kemna was very pleased with the growth that Poole showed during that week. “It’s a big victory and that’s a great step in his career,” the Dutchman said. “On the first day of climbing he really stood up as a leader. If you know Max a little bit… He’s very calm, but he was very clear. Those are leadership qualities that he showed. Every time something happened that wasn’t in our plan, he stood up.”

A big season coming up for Max Poole:

David Gaudu to Ride the Giro d’Italia for the First Time
David Gaudu will be at the start of the Giro d’Italia for the first time in his career. The French climber announced this in an interview with L’Équipe. The classification leader of Groupama-FDJ will also participate in the Tour de France in 2025.

The 28-year-old Gaudu has already ridden the Tour de France seven times and has the Vuelta a España twice, but never the Giro d’Italia. Gaudu will be in Italy in May with GC ambitions, he hopes for a podium place in his first Giro. Gaudu will compete in two Grand Tours in 2025, as the Tour de France is also on his programme. In his home tour he will have ‘a freer role’ and can battle for stage victories and maybe the KOM jersey.

Gaudu will start his season in the Muscat Classic, followed by the Tour of Oman, Classic Var and Tour des Alpes-Maritimes. With the Giro d’Italia in mind, he will ride the Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico, not Paris-Nice. After Tirreno-Adriatico, there will be the Tour de Romandie, before the Giro. He will miss the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège this year.

Guillaume Martin, will also ride a double, the Tour de France/Vuelta a España this year. Martin moved from Cofidis this year and has always ridden two Grand Tour in the same year. In the Tour he finished thirteenth in the final classification, in the Vuelta fifteenth.

David Gaudu’s race programme:
07.02: Muscat Classic
08.02: Tour of Oman
21.02: Classic Var
22.02: Tour des Alpes-Maritimes
08.03: Strade Bianche
10.03: Tirreno-Adriatico
29.04: Tour de Romandie
09.05: Giro d’Italia
05.07: Tour de France.

David Gaudu to the Giro and Tour in 2025:

Mathieu van der Poel will ‘Stop in Time’ as a Professional Cyclist
Mathieu van der Poel is now in his twenties, but will celebrate his thirtieth birthday in two weeks time. The Dutchman shouldn’t have to think about his cycling retirement yet, but the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider doesn’t plan to race forever.

In an extensive interview with Sporza, Van der Poel looked at his future as a cyclist. Some riders seem to be racing longer and longer, but Van der Poel doesn’t intend to. “I’m definitely not going to keep racing until I’m 40. I think it’s important to stop at a climax or at a point where you can make peace. Sometimes you see that riders keep driving on for too long, which detracts a bit from the honour roll they have ridden together.”

“I’m sure I’ll stop in time and won’t muddle on. What am I going to do next? I’m sure I won’t be bored. There are so many fun things besides cycling. I’m looking forward to that too. There are still a lot of challenges.”

Van der Poel won’t be racing when he is 40:

Wout van Aert is Not Afraid of Deep Puddles
Wout van Aert demonstrated his mastery of mud at the weekend in Gullegem and Dendermonde. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider is a fan of muddy cyclocross, even during training.

On a training ride on Monday with his friend Jan Bakelants, Van Aert went into a very deep puddle of water, a result of a river that had burst its banks. Van Aert wasn’t deterred by it, although he wasn’t entirely confident of a good outcome. “I don’t know if this is smart,” he said, while Bakelants was filming. In the end, Van Aert managed to go through the deep puddle without any problems. “But it was still disappointing,” was his conclusion.

It was also the last Belgian training ride of the 30-year-old rider for the next weeks, as Van Aert will be in Spain from Tuesday for a training camp with his Visma | Lease a Bike team. Under the Spanish sun, the Belgian will continue to work on his form for the coming spring on the road. “He has to train again there. On the last day of the training camp, the cross in Benidorm will take place and only then will the full focus shift to the spring. He will not work radically differently in Spain than he has done so far. We simply have to continue this level”, team manager Jan Boven told WielerFlits.

Due to his training, there is no room for the championships; the Belgian Championship on 12 January in Heusden-Zolder. “It is of course a conscious choice to stay in Spain and prepare the road season there in optimal conditions”, Van Aert said of his plan of action. “My goals lie elsewhere, even though the tricolour is a beautiful jersey.”

No river deep enough:

Fabio Jakobsen is Four kilos lighter
Fabio Jakobsen had a disappointing 2024 season. The sprinter only had one win, the opening stage in the Tour of Turkey. Next year, the 28-year-old Picnic PostNL rider wants to win again like he used to.

“I was too little of a cyclist last year and especially too heavy a sprinter. 2025 has to, and will be better,” Jakobsen said in an interview with NOS. “If I had to give the season a grade? A 5 min. Why? After six years with the same team, you get used to certain processes. Here we worked with new people and new equipment. It was a search for me. In addition, I had some unfortunate falls in the Giro d’Italia and in the run-up to the Tour de France.”

Jakobsen and the team focused on strength training last year. The goal was to further sharpen the pure sprint speed, but the extra muscle power also increased the weight. Because he had to carry extra kilos, Jakobsen often started the actual sprint feeling tired.

“The race has also evolved,” he said. “It’s getting busier in the final. Not only are the sprinters there, but also teammates of sprinters. As a result, you have to go around more and more people and you have to have the legs for that. You have to adapt to the race, but I also have to reinvent myself to some extent.”

“The most important thing is that I get back into the final of the race with the explosion of power that I had in the past. So I have to work on my overall condition and that mixed with the positioning at the end of the race. Then I arrive fresher in the finals and I also get through the days fresher.”

Jakobsen is already in Spain, where he is doing more kilometres and less strength training. Compared to January 2024, he is four kilos lighter. “I think I am already sharper than I was in January. I’ve had two perfect months, but I still have a month to go before I start in the AlUla Tour.” Later in the year, Jakobsen will ride the Tour de France. He has set his sights on the opening stage that starts and finishes in Lille. “There is a big red circle around that stage. Everything for me is about that. And about winning. That’s why I got on my bike, I have to keep doing that.”

Jackobsen going to the Tour:

Anna Shackley Forced to Retire after ‘Horrific’ Surgery
Anna Shackley spoke with Cycling Weekly about her forced retirement from cycling. The former SD Worx-ProTime rider was forced to retire at the age of 22 due to a heart rhythm disorder. Almost a year later, she is busy becoming a DS.

In January 2024, Shackley was diagnosed with heart rhythm disorders. She underwent a heart screening in Maxima Medical Center in Veldhoven in collaboration with the SD Worx-Protime medical team. Several irregularities were found. That was the reason she had to immediately stop riding the bike and have more extensive tests and procedures in the hospital in Barcelona near her home.

In March, she underwent an ablation in Barcelona. During this treatment, they heat or freeze the piece of heart tissue that causes heart rhythm disorders with a special catheter. In Shackley’s case, this was done under local anaesthesia. “Everyone spoke to me in English, but when they did everything, they spoke in Spanish. I couldn’t understand everything they said, but they became more and more worried. It lasted three hours. It was horrible.”

But there was bad news. “They told me the problem was bigger,” said the 23-year-old. The problem was so big that she had to stop racing. But Shackley still doesn’t know exactly what was going on. “I still can’t put a good name to it. I only know that it’s a heart rhythm disorder and causes extra beats.” The doctors told her that it was hereditary. “But no one in my family has ever had heart problems.”

At the end of June, she had another attack, she said. “I had to be taken to hospital and had to get an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator). I spent ten days in intensive care. Sometimes I feel like a bit of a hypochondriac and now that I have a heart problem, I am of course anxious about what my life will be like in the future and, in fact, how long I will live. Having an ICD now helps a lot. It gives me extra protection.”

Shackley’s life has changed completely, but she is keen to remain involved in cycling. She has already been guest DS for the Alba Development Road Team in the Tour of Britain Women, she then did a UCI training course to become a DS and will work part-time in a Continental team next year. “I am looking forward to the year and having a job, routine and a more normal life.”

Shackley turned pro in 2021 with SD Worx. She showed potential as a GC rider. In 2023, she finished fourth in the UAE Tour Women, second in the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes and seventh in the Tour de Romandie Féminin. A year earlier, she had also finished seventh in the Tour of Spain for women. She also did well in the one-day races. In 2023, she was on the podium of the World championships, with a bronze, and a silver medal at the European championships.

Anna Shackley forced to retire:

Mathieu van der Poel Changes his Approach to De Ronde
Mathieu van der Poel’s next main goal is the cyclocross World championships in Liévin, but he is also working on the spring Classics on the road. This year, he wants to be record holder in De Ronde van Vlaanderen, winning for the fourth time. But to do that, he has to beat Tadej Pogačar.

“It will be difficult to beat him, but it is a challenge that I am happy to accept,” Van der Poel told Sporza. “We are thinking about how we can close the gap on Pogačar. Because that will be necessary to beat him in De Ronde. Maybe that can be done by slightly different and more difficult training sessions. That is why I am cancelling the World Cup cyclocross in Benidorm, for example, because a training camp in that same period will make me better towards the spring.”

In the same interview, Van der Poel also looked back on his victory in the 2024 Tour of Flanders. In his rainbow jersey, he successfully finished off with a long solo. But it was less easy than it seemed, he now admits. “It was an extremely difficult edition, especially due to the weather conditions in the last hour. I got the same feeling as at the World championships in Harrogate 2019. The hunger knock was not that far away. So the race could not last much longer for me.”

Van der Poel wants to take the Flanders record:

Chris Froome Comes up with ‘Simple’ Solution for Safety
After several serious crashes and the tragic deaths of Muriel Furrer and André Drege, there has been a lot of discussion about safety in bike races. Chris Froome has an idea how to make cycling safer.

The four-time Tour winner spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport about race safety. “We see that cycling is going faster and faster and the races are also different. There is more stress, there are more battles for positions and therefore, unfortunately, also more serious crashes. At some point I think we may have to have a discussion about a limit on technological progress in sport, in order to promote safety,” said the 39-year-old. “That could be something simple, like limiting the gears.”

Another factor, according to Froome, is that the average age in the cycling peloton is lower. “Cyclists don’t necessarily take too many risks, but the average age in the peloton is changing. There are now many more young riders, with less experience. They go faster and take more risks,” Froome thinks.

It is not the first time that the Tour de France winner has spoken out about safety in cycling. Three years ago, Froome wondered whether it would not be safer if time trials were ridden on road bikes. “It is rather ironic that the UCI is coming up with things to make cycling safer, such as restrictions on your cycling position. Switching from time trial to road bikes, on the other hand, is easy to introduce. That will also have a much greater impact on the safety of cyclists. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of time trialing, but we’ve come to a point where we need to think more logically about our sport. And really take measures to make it safer. For me it’s a disadvantage, but I think about the bigger picture and the safety of the athletes.”

Chris Froome has had a few crashes over the years:

Casper van Uden to Make his Grand Tour Debut in the Giro d’Italia
Picnic PostNL, Iwan Spekenbrink’s team held its media day in Calpe, Spain on Monday. It was announced that Casper van Uden will be at the start of a Grand Tour for the first time this year. The 23-year-old Dutch sprinter will start a three week race in his third season as a professional season. He will be racing the Giro d’Italia (9 May-1 June). Van Uden will be the Picnic PostNL team sprinter in the Italian tour, but will not be the only protected rider in the team. The team will also have climbers Romain Bardet and Max Poole in Italy.

“In the Giro d’Italia, we really want to play a role in the race as a team, every single day. In the battle for the classification, we want to ride smart and tactically and continue to evaluate how the race will develop, while also focusing on daily results when the opportunities arise,” says Rudi Kemna, head coach of Picnic PostNL, looking ahead to the Giro.

“We have Romain (Bardet), who will ride his last Grand Tour as a pro, and Max (Poole) as our finishers for the tough mountain stages. Casper will make his debut in a Grand Tour and will be supported by a strong lead-out train to hunt for great results in the sprints.”

For Van Uden, 2024 was a successful season. The fast rider took several victories, including in the AlUla Tour and the ZLM Tour, but is still waiting for a victory in the WorldTour. Sports director Kemna calls Van Uden’s development positive and one that is steadily improving. “There is always work to be done, but he is really growing,” told WielerFlits last year.

“The next step is to keep repeating every move we have learned. That is not always easy, but he needs to get more routine in sprints, gain confidence that we are ‘just’ going to sprint and that he has to be fast. We need to continue to build on that development. I think it (winning in the WorldTour) is very close, you know. It also depends on the race and the competition, but if it goes well, with his qualities, he will compete for the top 3.”

Casper van Uden to the Giro’25:

Mikel Landa to Ride the Giro d’Italia
The 35-year-old will take on the Corsa Rosa – which he twice finished on the podium – for the eighth time in his career

One of the most consistent Grand Tour riders this side of the century, with a total of 10 top-ten overall placings from 22 participations, Mikel Landa will return at the start of the Giro d’Italia this season, three years after his previous start there.

The experienced Basque had enjoyed an impressive first season in the Soudal Quick-Step colours last year, finishing top-five at the Tour de France while in the service of Remco Evenepoel and eighth at his home Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España. In addition to these, Mikel came runner-up in Catalunya – his best result there in six participations – and cracked the Critérium du Dauphiné top ten for the first time in his career.

The 108th edition of the Corsa Rosa, whose full parcours is set to be revealed next week in Rome, will start from Albania, the first Balkan country in 29 years to host the Grande Partenza. In total, three stages will take place there, including a 14km individual time trial on the streets of capital Tirana.

“I am very happy that I will race the Giro, which holds a special place in my heart. It’s the race that helped me make a name as a rider. Back in 2015 I won two stages there and finished third on the standings, and that stage I won over Mortirolo with the finish in Aprica is to this day one of my best memories. It’s going to be a challenge, because there will be many good riders at the start, but I will do my best to fight for a stage win and a good result in the general classification. I look forward to the month of May and to meeting again the incredible Italian fans who make the Giro one of the best races in the world”, said Landa, who’ll get his 15th pro season underway in March, on the picturesque white roads of Strade Bianche.

Landa to the Giro in 2025:

Walter Planckaert Leaves Team Flanders-Baloise after Twenty Years
Walter Planckaert will not be behind the wheel of the Belgian team’s car in 2025 after 20 years.

“With warm gratitude for the past two decades, we announce that our cycling team – Team Flanders-Baloise – and Walter Planckaert, after an impressive career of twenty years as a sports director within our team, have mutually agreed to end their collaboration,” the team wrote on Instagram.

“Over the years, Walter has made an invaluable contribution to the sporting side of our cycling project. His experience and dedication have not only strengthened our team, but also inspired and guided countless young riders in their development. The knowledge and insights he has shared with them form a lasting legacy for the future of Team Flanders-Baloise. We wish Walter all the luck and success in the future and hope that he continues to enjoy his passion for cycling.”

Walter Planckaert, now 76-years-old, has been part of cycling for over half a century. Not only as a team DS, before that he was a very successful rider. Eddy Planckaert’s older brother was a professional from 1970 to 1985 and had a good palmarès. The Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race and E3 Prijs Harelbeke, were his Classic victories. He also won a stage in the Tour de France in 1978. Planckaert had 33 victories as a professional.

Walter Planckaert leaves Team Flanders-Baloise:

Fabio Jakobsen and Frank van den Broek are Selected for the Picnic PostNL’s Tour Team
The 112th Tour de France is months away, but several Picnic PostNL riders are already certain of starting in the biggest bike race of the year. Fabio Jakobsen will be back in the French Tour in 2025 and his teammate Frank van den Broek, who made his breakthrough in the French Tour last year, is also back.

Rudi Kemna, head coach of Picnic PostNL, spoke about the 2025 Tour de France. “It will be difficult to surpass the 2024 Tour de France, but we are going to the Tour again with the main goal of achieving stage victories. In hilly and mountainous terrain, we have a strong group of attackers, such as Oscar (Onley) and Frank (van den Broek). We want to make progress with Fabio (Jakobsen) in the first half of the season and then go to the Tour with confidence, where he will be our finisher in the flat sprints, supported by Tobias (Lund Andresen).”

Frank van den Broek to ride the 2025 Tour:

Olav Kooij and Wout van Aert to go to the Giro Together in 2025
Visma | Lease a Bike wanted to send Olav Kooij to the Giro d’Italia last year. In the flat stages, he would have Wout van Aert as a lead-out man, but his crash in Dwars Door Vlaanderen changed the plan. WielerFlits understands that the team wants to stick to the plan from next year; Van Aert and Kooij will go to the Giro together.

On Monday, Het Laatste Nieuws published Wout van Aert’s program, in which he wants to combine the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France again. Last year, the Belgian wanted to make his debut in the Italian tour, like Kooij, but the same crash on the descent of the Kanarieberg in the Dwars Door Vlaanderen prevented Van Aert from making his first Giro appearance. That debut will happen this year.

Kooij will be returning to the Giro d’Italia. That means that he will be working with Van Aert in the flat sprints, something they did successfully in the Clásica de Almeria last year. It has been emphasised that the Belgian may look for his chance in the more difficult stages to go for his own success. The two may also compete in a few races together in February, but that is not yet clear.

Kooij was successful in a Giro stage last year without Van Aert. In the 9th stage to Naples, Kooij held off all the other sprinters. In the absence of Van Aert, Kooij was joined by Christophe Laporte as sprint lead-out. The Frenchman had missed a large part of the spring due to illness and an operation on a buttock inflammation. He left the Giro after seven stages, due to a crash in stage five. Kooij was sick and had to abandon. For 2025, Visma | Lease a Bike signed a lead-out for Kooij in Dan McLay. It is also not yet clear whether the 33-year-old British rider will ride his first Giro d’Italia.

Kooij to ride the Giro:

fizik Joins Forces with UAE Emirates XRG and UAE TEAM ADQ
Italian brand confirmed as official saddle supplier for the 2025 season and beyond

fizik is delighted to confirm it will become the official saddle supplier of UAE Emirates XRG and UAE Team ADQ for the 2025 season and beyond.

The Italian brand’s full spectrum of racing saddles will be made available to the team, including their range of 3D-printed Adaptive models which incorporate innovative technologies to create unique saddle paddings with multiple functional comfort zones, and of course, their revolutionary One-to-One range which allows the riders to have their own, truly unique 3D-printed saddles produced. At their recent training camp in Spain, fizik met with each athlete to assess their riding positions and styles before tailoring their saddle choices to their own unique needs.

The collaboration comes off the back of an incredible 2024 for the men’s team, who topped the UCI WorldTour standings after totalling 82 victories with 20 different riders, including notable triumphs at the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Il Lombardia and Liège – Bastogne -Liège.

The women’s team amassed 14 victories in total, including a stage success at the Giro d’Italia Donne and also winning the Women’s Cycling Grand Prix Stuttgart & Region. Elisa Longo Borghini has joined the roster for 2025, bringing a truly packed palmarès with her, having added a second Tour of Flanders title to her long list of achievements last season as well as winning one stage on her way to the overall victory at the Giro d’Italia Donne.

Selle Royal Group Brands Director Riccardo Losio said: “We are incredibly proud to be partnering with UAE Emirates XRG and UAE Team ADQ as they are among the most successful, exciting and forward-thinking teams in the sport. We look forward to seeing what the future holds and are excited at the prospect of enjoying plenty of successes together.”

fizik Product Manager Alex Locatelli said: “Both teams’ unwavering commitment to high performance and technical innovation very much matches our own, and the wealth of saddle options in our range means we’ve been able to work with each rider individually to ensure they have exactly the right choices at their disposal for the upcoming season.”

UAE Emirates XRG Team Principal and CEO Mauro Gianetti: “We are very pleased to announce this partnership with fizik for the coming years. We are a team focused on innovation and development, and we always strive to be using the best materials and equipment on the market. fizik is a company with a lot of history and success in the sport, and together, we hope to add to that success.”

UAE TEAM ADQ President Melissa Moncada said: “Alongside our men’s team, we are constantly seeking the best-possible partners to equip our riders with the finest tools to excel in the world’s most prestigious races. At UAE Team ADQ, we are thrilled to embark on this new collaboration with fizik. It is an honour for us to contribute to the evolution of their products within the women’s cycling arena and to pursue new achievements together.”

UAE to sit on fizik in 2025:

Rapha and EF Pro Cycling Unveil 2025 Team Kits
The EF Pro Cycling Collection will be available to buy in February 2025 Thomas Long, Athlete & Teams Manager at Rapha: “2025 is our seventh season supporting EF Pro Cycling – a team that redefines pro racing with their boldness and originality. Since day one, we’ve shared a mission to push the sport of cycling forward. Their unique philosophy shines through in our 2025 kit design, celebrating diamonds forged under the pressure of the world’s greatest sport.”

Owain Doull, EF Education-EasyPost: “You’ve got the best kit in the peloton and 99% of the other riders are envious of the fact that you’re racing in Rapha. I think that’s a massive advantage, not just on the bike, but also in the head.”

The 2025 EF Pro Cycling Collection features new and improved Pro Team Bib Shorts, Rapha’s most comfortable high-performance bibs yet; the Pro Team Aero Jersey; Pro Team Training Jersey; Pro Team Base Layers; and Pro Team Socks. Plus off-bike pieces including a Scarf, a Hoodie, a Cap, and T-shirts.

New kit for EF:

British Cycling says Grazie to New Official On-Bike Clothing Partner Alé
British Cycling and Alé ink a four-year partnership: the reputed Italian brand becomes the official on-bike clothing partner.

British Cycling and Alé are pleased to announce that they have signed a brand new partnership. The esteemed Italian clothing brand, Alé becomes the official on-bike clothing partner for the next four years.

Alé will use its classic Italian craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail to deliver its trademark high-quality cycling apparel for the entire Great Britain Cycling Team and non-Olympic disciplines for both training and competition, as well as provide jerseys for national series and championship winners.

The partnership will see riders kitted out with a comprehensive on-bike package across all seven Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, as well as non-Olympic disciplines. Additionally, the collaboration between GBCT and Alé will see the continued development of performance kit, to not only maintain, but further the industry-leading standards of kit that have come to be expected of the team.

The new partnership brings with it a modern twist on the classic white racing jersey with the iconic GBR panel and the addition of asymmetric arm designs, bringing the red, white and blue to the right arm band, along with the team’s ‘inspire the nation’ mantra emblazoned along the inside collar. In a nod to the past, the navy training kit is back featuring a tonal triangle-based pattern and stealth GBR branding across the chest.

Performance Director for the Great Britain Cycling Team, Stephen Park CBE said: “As GBCT, we are renowned for our world-leading training and competition apparel and needed a partner that would be able to not only meet our current performance level but work with us to continuously develop these standards as we start our preparations for LA 2028. Alé have already expressed their commitment and excitement in working with our in-house team to progress further innovations in fabric, design and aerodynamics, so athletes feel proud and confident in the new jersey as they head out to inspire the nation.”

Alessia Piccolo CEO of APG, the company to which Alé belongs, said: “For Alé, it’s a huge honour to be the Official Partner of British Cycling. For over three decades, we have equipped champions, bringing innovation, passion and high-quality apparel to the roads of the WorldTour. This new collaboration with the Great Britain Cycling Team represents a unique opportunity to continue creating increasingly high-performance garments across all of GBCT’s disciplines, crafted with expertise and one we’re incredibly excited and proud to take on.”

Chief Commercial Officer for British Cycling, Darren Henry said: “We are delighted to be entering into this new chapter with Alé as our official on-bike clothing partner for the next four years. We welcome them into the growing portfolio of commercial partners at British Cycling and we look forward to working with them to help grow their brand in the UK market.”

Muscat Classic/Tour of Oman 2025: Two races, Infinite Challenges

Key points:

• The 3rd edition of the Muscat Classic (7 February) precedes new confrontations on the roads of the Tour of Oman (8-12 February), held since 2010.
• 18 teams are preparing to battle it out in the desert, including Adam Yates’ UAE Team Emirates XRG.
• The race promises renewed fireworks, with nervy finishes and a grand finale on the slopes of Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain).

A classic and a stage race: the peloton are once again preparing for the double challenge presented every year on the roads of the Sultanate of Oman. And as usual, the punchiest riders will be in the limelight, starting with the Muscat Classic (7 February), and then the Tour of Oman (8-12 February).

For its 3rd edition, the Muscat Classic maintains its hilly route between Al Mouj and Al Bustan with a nervous finale marked by the ascents of Bousher Al Amerat (3.4km at 8.8%), Wadi Al Kadir (2.1km at 7.3%), Al Hamriyah (0.8km at 9.8%) and Al Jissah (1.4km at 9%). This sequence of climbs saw Finn Fisher-Black take off to a solo win last year, before going on to take a stage victory in the Tour of Oman, in Qurayyat.

This year, the peloton will tackle the 14th edition of the Tour of Oman with a new finish at Bimmah Sink Hole, in the east of the Sultanate. Sprinters will aim for victory on the 1-kilometre-long final straight after a wind-exposed finish on the shores of the Sea of Oman.

A first battle between puncheurs is expected the following day, on the heights surrounding Muscat. After a start from Al Rustaq Fort, the finish promises to be explosive, with the Qantab climb (2.6km at 6.5%), crossed with 10km to go, and the ascent of Yitti Hills (1.6km at 7%), the summit of which lies 800m from the finish line.

The intensity will increase again with stage 3, on the slopes of Eastern Mountain (4.6km at 8.5%). Inaugurated in 2023, with Matteo Jorgenson’s first professional victory, before being cancelled last year due to the exceptional weather conditions that hit Oman, the climb promises a merciless selection with its stark changes of gradient.

The peloton, and especially the sprinters, will then return to a mostly flat terrain between the Oman Across Ages Museum and the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center (stage 4). In 2024, Caleb Ewan was the fastest on this route, with a 700m slightly uphill final straight.

The road will really rise for the final stage, with the usual rendezvous on the terrible slopes of Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain): 5.7km at 10.5%. Adam Yates was the last rider to triumph here. Who will succeed him in 2025?

The British star’s team, UAE Team Emirates XRG, will be back at the start, along with Jorgenson’s Team Visma | Lease a Bike and seven other UCI WorldTour teams, five UCI ProTeams and three UCI Continental teams. The line-up is completed by the Omani national team, who will be facing the international stars of the discipline for the fourth year in a row.

Muscat Classic
Friday 7 February: Al Mouj > Al Bustan (174km).

The stages of the Tour of Oman 2025
Stage 1, Saturday 8 February: Bushar > Bimmah Sink Hole (170km)
Stage 2, Sunday 9 February: Al Rustaq Fort > Yitti Hills (203km)
Stage 3, Monday 10 February: Fanja > Eastern Mountain (181km)
Stage 4, Tuesday 11 February: Oman Across Ages Museum > Oman Convention and Exhibition Center (181.5km)
Stage 5, Wednesday 12 February: Imty > Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) (139km).

The 18 teams
WTT – UCI WorldTeams (9)
Arkéa B&B Hotels
XDS Astana Team
Groupama-FDJ
Movistar Team
Soudal Quick-Step
Team Picnic PostNL
Team Jayco AlUla
UAE Team Emirates XRG
Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

PRT – UCI ProTeams (5)
Burgos-BH
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
Uno-X Mobility
TotalEnergies
Tudor Pro Cycling Team.

CTM – UCI Continental Teams (3)
JCL Team Ukyo
Roojai Online Insurance
Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team.

National Team
Oman National Team.

CIC-Mont Ventoux Might Happen in 2025
The CIC-Mont Ventoux, a French one-day race that finished on the mythical Mont Ventoux, hopes it will be held this year on Tuesday 17 June, but the organisers are struggling with financial problems.

Race director Nicolas Garcera spoke to Total Velo. “Two private sponsors have now announced that they are withdrawing and a third partner has had to reduce its budget by 30%. We must thank these sponsors for their financial support in recent years,” Garcera continued. “Let us not forget that these companies should primarily be concerned about their employees and families.”

The race organisers are now short of €50,000 due to the withdrawal of these sponsors. It is still unclear whether this will have consequences for the future of the race and the upcoming edition of the CIC-Mont Ventoux. The race was cancelled last year, but that was because of the Olympic Games in Paris.

The first edition of the race took place in 2019, then under the name Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge. The Spaniard Jesús Herrada was the first winner. The next year the winner was Aleksandr Vlasov and then Miguel Ángel López in 2021, Ruben Guerreiro in 2022 and Lenny Martinez last year.

Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) won in 2023:

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