EUROTRASH Thursday: Vingegaard’s Tour Ambitions – TDU & Il Giro Updates

Start your day with the latest buzz from the world of cycling in this week’s EuroTrash Thursday. Jonas Vingegaard is talking up the Tour de France battle between him and Tadej Pogačar and he will ride two Grand Tours this year. Dive into the Giro and Vuelta rumors, Mark Cavendish’s plans for 2025, and the latest from cyclocross in Benidorm. Plus, updates from Movistar, Soudal-Quick Step, and a look at innovative moves in virtual cycling with ROUVY.  Plus all the other cycling news from around the World as the 2025 season is about to kick off in Australia.

TOP STORY

• Jonas Vingegaard to ride two Grand Tours in 2025

Rider news

• Evenepoel Belgian Sportsman of the Year
• Will Mathieu van der Poel Ride the Giro?
• Caleb Ewan will ‘certainly not’ quit according to his manager
• Mark Padun retires from cycling
• Mikel Landa to ride Giro, Tour and Vuelta in one season
• Mark Cavendish still has flashbacks from violent robbery
• Broken elbow for Gaia Realini while training
• Rigoberto Urán trains with Colombian football team
• Ilkhan Dostiyev banned for four years after positive doping test and confession

Team news

• Michel Hessmann signs for Movistar
• Unibet Tietema Rockets receives wildcard for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
• Soudal Quick-Step to the Tour Down Under
• Intermarché-Wanty kicks off the 2025 Season in Australia
• Team Picnic PostNL Down Under
• Bahrain Victorious Reveal Official Under-23 Development Team
• Team Novo Nordisk partner with Selle San Marco for 2025 season

Race news

• Benidorm wants the cyclocross World championships in 2029
• Giro demands Tudor to start with Alaphilippe or Hirschi, or they will lose their ‘wildcard’
• The Critérium du Dauphiné: A Dress Rehearsal for the Tour de France
• Giro d’Italia Women 2025: The route has been announced
• Giro d’Italia 2025: A challenging route from the very first stages
• AlUla Tour: The international peloton faces desert traps
• Wout van Aert Invites Fans to join exclusive community ride on ROUVY

Get the EUROTRASH coffee!

 

TOP STORY: Jonas Vingegaard to Ride Two Grand Tours this Year
Jonas Vingegaard has a lot of ambitions for the 2025 season. The Dane wants to be 100% for the Tour de France this year, after his less than perfect preparation for the 2024 Tour due to his horrendous crash in the Tour of the Basque Country. The Tour de France will, of course, be his biggest goal, but he also wants to be on the start-line of la Vuelta a España.

“I am most looking forward to returning to the Tour de France”, Vingegaard said at the Visma | Lease a Bike press day on Tuesday in La Nucia, Spain. “This race means the most to me. It is the biggest race of the year. There is something special about the Tour. That is what I am looking forward to the most. I want to go for the win again. I want to be at the start with the best possible preparation and in the best possible condition. My biggest goal in 2025 is therefore to win the Tour de France for the third time.”

The Tour isn’t the only race he wants to shine. “In the spring I will do the Volta ao Algarve, Paris-Nice and the Tour of Catalonia. And later in the year I will also participate in the Vuelta a España. Of course I start these races to go for the win. I am very motivated to win these races. I have not won Paris-Nice yet. I was there two years ago, but I could not win then. I really want to come back and win. I have never ridden Catalonia, so I am happy to appear at the start and go for the win. And as for the Vuelta: it is a special race, one of the biggest in the world and one that I always watch on television. I would like to win here.”

Vingegaard also spoke of his crash in the Basque Country. “I learned from last year that I can still perform well with less preparation. But it also remains that without the crash I would have had a better preparation and hopefully would have been better in the Tour de France. Of course you can’t say whether the outcome would have been different, but I know I could have been better than I was last season.”

Everything you need to know about the Visma | Lease a Bike 2025 season:

 

Evenepoel Belgian Sportsman of the Year
Fourth title in six years for Soudal Quick-Step’s rider

Remco Evenepoel was named Belgian Sportsman of the Year on Sunday, another recognition of his excellent 2024 season, during which he captured a total of nine wins, including two gold medals at the Olympic Games in Paris and a second consecutive title at the World ITT Championships, held in Zurich.

Already a recipient of the Kristallen Fiets, Flandrien and Belgian of the Year awards – all of these received in the last two months – Remco took to the stage in Brussels, where the Sports Gala was held, to lift his fourth trophy as the Belgian Sportsman of the Year, after the ones of 2019, 2022 and 2023.

“I am proud of this achievement, because it’s a recognition of all the hard work I have put in over the past year. Last season was an incredible one for me, with the three gold medals I took in the space of just a few months and third place, as well as the white jersey, at my first Tour de France with Soudal Quick-Step. This is a reward that wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible people around me”, said Remco at the ceremony.

“Belgian Sportsman of the Year is an award that also gives me confidence as I continue my recovery. I am motivated to do all that I can to return on the bike and be in the best possible shape after this setback at the start of Le Tour in July”, added only the second rider in history to win the trophy at least four times.

Another trophy for Remco:

 

Will Mathieu van der Poel Ride the Giro?
Will Mathieu van der Poel return to the Giro d’Italia? According to Cyclingnews, Van der Poel could be a on the start-line of the Italian GT. Race director Mauro Vegni told the website that the organisers are still negotiating with some “big riders.”

“We are still negotiating with some big riders,” said Vegni, who declined to reveal which riders. “Some have already confirmed that they will ride the Giro, others have already said that they will not. But I hope that by the end of this month we will know exactly who will be at the start of the Giro.”

Last year’s winner, Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard are likely to miss the Giro, but it is rumoured that Van der Poel may be at the start. The Dutchman recently said that he would like to ride the MTB World Championships this year, which will take place in Switzerland in early September. According to Cyclingnews, a combination with the Giro would make sense, also because Van der Poel recently said that he didn’t like the Tour.

Van der Poel rode the Giro once before, in 2022. He won the opening stage and then wore the pink jersey for a few days. He also came second twice and third once on different stages.

Mathieu van der Poel’s Race Schedule:
25.01: UCI Cyclocross World Cup – Maasmechelen
26.01: UCI Cyclocross World Cup – Hoogerheide
02.02: UCI Cyclocross World Championships Liévin
22.03: Milano-Sanremo
06.04: Tour of Flanders
13.04: Paris-Roubaix.

Van der Poel in pink again?

 

Caleb Ewan Will ‘Certainly Not’ Quit, According to his Manager
Last week Caleb Ewan was removed from the Jayco AlUla team roster on the website. This led to suspicions that the Australian had left the team and whether he had a new team or was it the end of his career. According to his personal manager, he is not stopping

Ewan’s manager has said that Ewan is ‘certainly not’ quitting racing. There is no news yet about his future with Jayco AlUla, but Ewan still has a contract with the WorldTeam until the end of 2025, but it currently seems likely that he will not serve it out. In December Ewan was not selected by Jayco AlUla for the 2025 Tour Down Under (21-26 January). The 30-year-old sprinter usually starts his season in Australia. Ewan has been very successful in his home race, winning nine stages.

The strong rumour is that he broke his contract with Jayco AlUla to go to Astana (now XDS Astana), but the Kazakh team changed its mind and so Ewan was left without a team.

What next for Ewan?

 

Mark Padun to Retire from Cycling
Mark Padun has ended his cycling career. The Ukrainian, who is only 28-years-old, was at one time a star of the future, but after his breakthrough in the 2021 Critérium du Dauphiné, he didn’t confirm his promise. Padun has been struggling with health problems for a long time and has had to retire from racing, he told Ouest-France. He was considered a great climbing talent in his youth with top results with the juniors and U23s.

He was third in the Giro Valle d’Aosta and fifth in the U23 Giro d’Italia. He also won the Flèche du Sud (2.2) and finished fifth in the U23 World Championship in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2018. Marc Hirschi was World champion that day, ahead of the late Bjorg Lambrecht of Belgium and Finland’s Jaakko Hänninen. Padun made his debut as a pro in 2018. His first years at the top level were inconsistent, but he won a tough mountain stage in the Tour of the Alps, a year later he won the Adriatica Ionica Race.

In 2021, he was the best climber in the Critérium du Dauphiné. In a field that included Enric Mas, Sepp Kuss, Miguel Ángel López, David Gaudu, Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas, he soloed to two consecutive stage victories, in La Plagne and Les Gets. Padun never got near that high level again. In recent years, there were some good results with EF Education-EasyPost and then Team Corratec-Vini Fantini. In June 2024, Padun was the only rider to be out of time in the opening team time trial in the Tour of Slovakia. This turned out to be the race of his career.

The end of the road for Mark Padun:

 

Mikel Landa Plans to Ride Giro, Tour and Vuelta in One Season
Next season, Mikel Landa will combine the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France. He thinks two Grand Tours will be enough for 2025, but in the future he would like to do the Giro, Tour and Vuelta in one year, the Basque rider told Marca.

“I would like to ride all three Grand Tours in one season,” when asked what challenge he still wanted to complete. “If I don’t, I will regret it. But I still have time. With the high demands that are made these days, it won’t be easy. Still, it is something that continues to appeal. I would like to do it like Marino (Lejarreta) and co did in the past.”

Next season, Landa will focus on the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France. The Soudal Quick-Step climber will ride in the Tour for Remco Evenepoel, but he can go for his own chances in the Giro. He will ride three races in the run-up to the Italian tour: Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Catalonia. “After that I will not do anything until the Giro.”

Mikel Landa’s Race Schedule:
08.03: Strade Bianche
10.03: Tirreno-Adriatico
24.03: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
09.05: Giro d’Italia
05.07: Tour de France.

Three GT’s in the same season for Mikel Landa:

 

Mark Cavendish Still has Flashbacks from Violent Robbery
In December 2021, Cavendish and his family were the victims of a violent robbery in their home. The former sprinter has not forgotten. “I still have a lot of flashbacks to that horrible day,” he says in an interview with The Telegraph.

The robbery happened on the night of November 27, 2021, when Cavendish had just returned home after being in intensive care in a Belgian hospital, due to a crash in the Six Days of Gent. “Four masked and armed men managed to enter our house while we were sleeping. They threatened my wife and children and violently attacked me,” Cavendish wrote on Instagram at the time. “They looted our belongings with a knife. They took two watches that were very valuable to us. But what’s worse is that my young family’s sense of protection, safety, privacy and dignity has been taken away. Everyone deserves that in their own home,” said Cavendish. “The effect this nightmare has had on my family is clear and heartbreaking.”

It’s been more than three years since the attack, but the 39-year-old still suffers. “I still have so many flashbacks to that day. A huge knife was held to my throat, in front of my barely three-year-old child. Can you believe it? It was horrible. I still think: what could I have done differently then? Everyone thinks: fight back. That’s what I did at first, but believe me: when someone pulls out a knife, you have absolutely no say. Not even when your wife and son are in danger. With a knife to your throat, you feel completely powerless. I would never forgive myself if anything had happened to Peta (his wife Peta Todd) and the children while I was away.”

The four robbers, three of whom have since been arrested and convicted, stole two Richard Mille watches worth a total of £700,000 ($/€830,000), a smartphone and a Louis Vuitton suitcase. When this appeared in the media, Cavendish also received a lot of criticism from people who thought that he had brought it on himself by wearing such expensive watches. “Those hurtful words probably hurt the most. I was vilified because I was wearing an expensive watch. But do people know where I come from? Where I am now is entirely my own fault. I have been able to realise all my dreams, but I have also always paid my taxes. Even if I had bought that watch, why should I be treated so harshly for it? “Why shouldn’t I buy it?”

Mark Cavendish still having flashbacks:

 

Broken Elbow for Gaia Realini While Training
Gaia Realini has had an upset before the start of the 2025 season. The Italian suffered a broken elbow in a training crash. However, the 23-year-old Lidl-Trek rider is not put off.

“I fell a few days ago during a training ride,” the climber wrote on Instagram. “A small fracture in my elbow was certainly not necessary, but I want to thank my Lidl-Trek team and the medical professionals for their support. Everything will be fine again! The season has not yet started and the best is yet to come,” Realini said with confidence. It is still unclear what her road program for 2025 will look like, but the Italian is on the provisional list of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana (13-16 February). It remains to be seen whether she will be able to be on the start-line.

Realini is preparing for her third season with Lidl-Trek. In her first year with the team, she became one of the best climbers in the peloton. She finished second in the UAE Tour, third in La Vuelta Femenina and third in the Giro d’Italia. Last year, she confirmed her achievements with a seventh place in the Giro and a fifth place in the final classification of the Tour de France Femmes.

Broken elbow for Realini:

 

Rigoberto Urán Trains with Colombian Football Team
Rigoberto Urán has retired as a professional cyclist, but he has not put his feet up. Urán had said that he would like to be a professional footballer. It now appears that Urán’s dream may have come true.

Urán is currently training with Fortaleza CEIF, a professional Colombian football team from Bogota, founded in 2010 and competing at the highest level. The team plays its home games in the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo, a stadium with a maximum capacity of 10,000 spectators. The club is in preparation for the first match of the new season. On January 23, Fortaleza CEIF will play at home against Envigado, possibly with Rigoberto Urán, although it is far from certain that he will be offered a contract.

Carlos Barato, founder and chairman of the club, did confirm that the former cyclist is training with his team. “Rigoberto will spend a trial period with us. He wants to play as a creative midfielder.” Whether Urán will actually get to play is still the question. As a cyclist, he did reach the top and achieved many successes over the years. He started his professional career in 2006 with the Tenax-Salmilano team and then rode for Unibet (2007), Caisse d’Epargne (2008-2010), Team Sky (2011-2013), Quick-Step (2014-2015) and EF Education (2016-2024).

Urán won several one-day races, including the GP de Québec, Milan-Turin and Gran Piemonte. The Colombian also won stages in the Giro, Tour and Vuelta and was second overall in the Tour de France (2017) and the Tour of Italy (2013 and 2014). In 2012, Urán won a silver medal in the road race at the London Games, because Alexander Vinokourov got away from him in the final few hundred metres.

Urán the footballer next?

 

Ilkhan Dostiyev Banned for Four Years after Positive Doping Test and Confession
Ilkhan Dostiyev has been banned for four years by the UCI after he was caught using CERA, a variant of EPO, in September 2024. The 22-year-old rider, who rode for the Astana Qazaqstan Development team, confessed to his doping. Dostiyev can return to racing after 8 September 2028.

Dostiyev tested positive during an out-of-competition test on 30th July 2024, he then confessed to doping. “The news came as a shock and disappointment to us,” said Astana Qazaqstan Development team manager Alexandr Shushemoin. “We trusted Ilkhan Dostiyev as one of our leaders and had high expectations of him, expectations that have now been completely shattered. I can say with absolute certainty that Astana Qazaqstan Development has no connection with this incident. Our team has a ‘zero tolerance’ policy. We work constantly with our riders and do our best to make them understand not only the consequences of doping, but also the absurdity of attempting to violate the doping rules.”

The team decided to suspend Dostiyev and terminate his contract with immediate effect. “We are now working fully and openly with all the organisations involved to get to the bottom of what happened,” Shushemoin said.

Dostiyev was a fairly average rider until 2024, when he was second in the Tour du Rwanda in February. He also won a stage in the Orlen Nations Grand Prix, a top U23 race. In the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta-Mont Blanc he was beaten into second place by Jarno Widar in the final overall. In August 2024, Dostiyev also won the Tour of Romania (2.2).

Dostiyev banned for 4 years:

 

Michel Hessmann signs for Movistar Team
The 23-year-old German cyclist signs with the Telefónica team for the next two seasons

Born on April 6, 2001, in Münster, Germany, Michel Hessmann is a versatile cyclist who was part of the mixed relay team that won the gold medal at the 2020 European Championships. A year later, he was crowned German U23 time trial champion, and in 2022, he achieved another victory in the team time trial during the fifth stage of the Tour de l’Avenir.

In June 2023, following an episode of contamination, a prohibited substance was detected in Hessmann during an anti-doping control. The WADA and the National Anti-Doping Agency of Germany (NADA Germany) agreed with the rider for a period of ineligibility of twenty-one (21) months starting with the date of the sample collection on 14 June 2023, for an unintentional anti-doping rule violation according to the German rules. As a result, he will be eligible to compete with the team starting March 15.

Michel Hessmann: “It means a lot to me to sign with Movistar Team. I am incredibly grateful to have the chance to prove myself for this team with a palmarès and history unrivalled in cycling. I think I am a good Allrounder that fits well into modern cycling where every race is raced hard from start to finish and I am still discovering the rider type I can be, even on the long climbs of Tour de L’Avenir or the Giro. My goal is to be able to be a help to the leaders of the team on every terrain and especially in stage races like I did in the Giro and further develop as a rider so I will hopefully be able to start getting some results myself.”

 

Unibet Tietema Rockets Receives Wildcard for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
The organisers of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad has given out the ‘wildcards’ for this year’s edition. Unibet Tietema Rockets, the new name for Tour de Tietema-Unibet, is one of the ProTeams that will be at the start in Gent on Saturday, March 1.

Unibet Tietema Rockets, which races with a French license from 2025, will participated in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2025 for the first time. Last year, the team didn’t ride any one-day WorldTour races in Flanders. They did start in the Amstel Gold Race and the Renewi Tour. In Flanders, the team has ridden the Scheldeprijs (1.Pro) and Danilith Nokere Koerse (1.Pro).

The other ‘wildcards’ for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, went to Flanders-Baloise, Tudor and Q36.5. Tudor has Julian Alaphilippe, and Q36.5 has signed Tom Pidcock. Israel-Premier Tech, Lotto and Uno-X Mobility are automatically selected.

 

Soudal Quick-Step to the Tour Down Under
The Australian race takes place between 21-26 January

A new season gets underway next weekend, when Soudal Quick-Step will line up for the Men’s Classic, the fast and spectacular criterium race preceding the first World Tour event of the calendar, set to start just a couple of days later.

On paper, three of this year’s Tour Down Under stages should belong to the fast men, including the first one, where the sprinters will have the opportunity to fight for the ochre jersey rewarding the leader of the overall standings. The general classification, however, will be an affair between the climbers, favoured by the presence of Knotts Hill and Willunga Hill.

The former will be tackled on the third day, just a few kilometres from the finish in Uraidla, will the latter – the most iconic ascent of the Tour Down Under – is once again set to feature twice on the penultimate stage, which will conclude on its demanding gradients.

Soudal Quick-Step will take on the six-day race with a solid team consisting of newcomer Pascal Eenkhoorn, Antoine Huby, James Knox, Junior Lecerf, Casper Pedersen, Italian U23 ITT National Champion Andrea Raccagni – who has made the step up from our Devo Team this winter – and the experienced Pieter Serry.

“The Tour Down Under has a parcours with a little bit of everything for everyone: sprinters, puncheurs and climbers. The two stages for the general classification will be demanding ones, so we should see some proper fireworks there. We go to Australia with a good team – a mix of young and experienced riders – and with a lot of motivation, because we aim for a strong start to the season. We’ll take it one stage at a time, try to seize any opportunity and see what Junior can do in the GC”, said sports director Geert Van Bondt.

21.01–26.01 Santos Tour Down Under (AUS) 2.UWT Riders:
Pascal Eenkhoorn (NED)
Antoine Huby (FRA)
James Knox (GBR)
Junior Lecerf (BEL)
Casper Phillip Pedersen (DEN)
Andrea Raccagni (ITA)
Pieter Serry (BEL).
Sports Director: Dries Devenyns (BEL) and Geert Van Bondt (BEL).

Junior Lecerf to the TDU:

 

Intermarché-Wanty Kicks Off the 2025 Season in Australia
Intermarché-Wanty is set to begin its fifth season in the World Tour in Australia, competing in four events in the southern region of the country. Building on a successful season start in Oceania twelve months ago, that included a victory in the Surf Coast Classic and podium finishes in both World Tour events, the team under sportive direction of Steven De Neef arrived in Adelaide on Friday 10th of January for its third Australian campaign with the Villawood Men’s Classic (January 18), the Santos Tour Down Under (January 21-26), the Surf Coast Classic (January 30), and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (February 2).

Tour Down Under
After a criterium through the streets of Adelaide on Saturday 18th of January, the World Tour season kicks off with the six-day Tour Down Under on Tuesday 21st of January. The race features varied terrain, with key stages in the Adelaide Hills. The intensity of the race builds throughout the week, crescendoing to the traditional queen stage on day five with finish on top of Willunga Hill. The route includes stages suited for sprinters, challenging hill stages including ascents of Mengler Hill or Knotts Hill, and a final circuit race on Sunday 26th of January in Adelaide.

Surf Coast Classic
Intermarché-Wanty will then defend its title in the Surf Coast Classic on 30th of January, which is ridden on a similar route to the 2024 edition, where Biniam Girmay celebrated after a bunch sprint in Torquay.

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Known for its unpredictable nature, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday 2nd of February presents a challenging course. Key features include four ascents of Challambra Crescent (1.2km at 7.9%) in the latter half of the race, along with exposed roadways, technical sections, and a fast sprint finish along the coastline where Hugo Page and Georg Zimmermann secured a podium spot for Intermarché-Wanty in each of the team’s participations.

Team Roster
Seven riders will debut the team’s new colours for the 2025 season under the sportive direction of Steven De Neef. Georg Zimmermann returns after his third place in the latest edition of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and twelfth place in the final classification of the Tour Down Under. The young and fast riders Arne Marit and Francesco Busatto will be making their Australian racing debuts, whereas Dries De Pooter returns after his participation in the 2022 U23 World Championships in Wollongong. Tom Paquot and Dion Smith participate for the second and third time in a row, alongside Taco van der Hoorn who is a former King of the Mountains winner at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (2023).

Aike Visbeek (Performance Manager): “We traditionally aim for a strong start to the new season in January. Our focus is twofold: a competitive selection in Australia and a talented group of eleven riders in the Mallorca classics. In Mallorca, our new signings Louis Barré, Kamiel Bonneu, Alexander Kamp, and Luca Van Boven will have plenty of opportunities, as will two-time winner Kobe Goossens. We are also counting on our sprinters Biniam Girmay and Gerben Thijssen, who generally start the season strongly. While we fine-tune the final details during a second collective training camp in Alicante, our seven-rider selection around Georg Zimmermann and Arne Marit is preparing in Adelaide for the Tour Down Under. After his podium finish in the Cadel Evans Road Race and his near-top ten in the general classification of the Tour Down Under, he is determined to surpass his performances from his first participations in 2024. With Arne Marit, after his injury woes last season, we have specifically worked towards the sprints in the Tour Down Under and Surf Coast Classic, which should suit him well. Our young talents Francesco Busatto and Dries De Pooter will have opportunities in the difficult finales and sprint finishes with reduced groups. They can count on the support of experienced riders Tom Paquot, Dion Smith, and Taco van der Hoorn, who are already familiar with the Australian races.”

Team Roster:
Francesco Busatto
Dries De Pooter
Arne Marit
Tom Paquot
Dion Smith
Taco van der Hoorn
Georg Zimmermann.
Sports Director: Steven De Neef.

 

Team Picnic PostNL Down Under

Women’s Santos Tour Down Under – JAN 17-19
Matt Winston – Team Picnic PostNL coach: “We take a strong team for our Women’s program to the season’s opening race. We’ll support Rachele as our sprint finisher for the opening days finish, and focus on Eleonora and Becky for the Willunga Hill summit finish on the second day to see what results they can achieve and how that positions them for the GC. We’ll keep our options open for the final day, either defending the GC or targeting a stage win. The team have had a good travel to Australia and are looking forward to starting the new season on a high.”

Line-up:
Silje Bader (NED)
Rachele Barbieri (ITA)
Eleonora Ciabocco (ITA)
Josie Nelson (GBR)
Mara Roldan (CAN)
Becky Storrie (GBR).

Santos Tour Down Under – JAN 21-26
Matt Winston – Team Picnic PostNL coach: “We are excited to get our Men’s program underway at Tour Down Under. For the sprint stages, we will support Tobias as our finisher, while Oscar will be our key contender for the GC, where we hope he can build on his success from last year. We have a strong team around them who can cover all bases effectively in supporting in both the sprints and on the more difficult stages. After his crash at team camp in December where he suffered a collarbone fracture, we had hoped Chris [Hamilton] would be on the start line, but unfortunately he has had a setback in recent days and is unable to start. He will be replaced by Gijs, who, despite not having the most ideal preparation in terms of heat acclimatisation and jet lag, comes out of a strong training block in Calpe. We believe he can support us well in achieving our goals.”

Read the full update on Chris here.

Line-up:
Tobias Lund Andresen (DEN)
Patrick Eddy (AUS)
Alex Edmondson (AUS)
Bjoern Koerdt (GBR)
Gijs Leemreize (NED)
Oscar Onley (GBR)
Julius van den Berg (NED).

Oscar Onley to the TDU:

 

Bahrain Victorious Reveal Official Under-23 Development Team
Team Bahrain Victorious is delighted to announce the establishment of its official Under-23 (U23) Development Team, marking a key milestone in the team’s commitment to developing young talent in cycling and setting them up for success as they look to enter the WorldTour.

Since 2022, Team Bahrain Victorious has partnered with Cycling Team Friuli (CTF) U23 to support rider development, achieving great success in identifying and developing promising young talents such as Jonathan Milan, Fran Miholjević, Žak Eržen and Nicolò Buratti, to name a few. Starting in 2025, the CTF U23 structure will fully integrate into Team Bahrain Victorious and operate as the Bahrain Victorious Development Team, officially serving as the primary development pathway for emerging talents aiming to progress to the UCI WorldTour (WT) team.

This change will provide young riders with enhanced opportunities to grow within the professional cycling ecosystem. The Bahrain Victorious Development Team will work closely with the WT team, enabling riders to train, race, and learn alongside seasoned professionals. This includes participation in select non-WorldTour classified races, creating an integrated and immersive development experience.

Vladimir Miholjević, Team Bahrain Victorious Performance Director, emphasised the importance of the initiative: “This transition is an important step in how we support young riders on their journey to becoming professional athletes. By integrating the U23 team into the Bahrain Victorious structure, we can offer these young talents access to advanced performance infrastructure and valuable racing experience. This setup helps them develop their skills while building a stronger connection with our WorldTour team. We believe this initiative will provide a solid platform for young riders to grow and prepare for the demands of top-level cycling.”

While the CTF U23 team transitions to its new role, Cycling Team Friuli will continue its grassroots efforts in the Friuli region, focusing on the other youth categories, as well as the Masters and amateur categories.

 

Team Novo Nordisk Partner with Selle San Marco for 2025 Season
Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team, is proud to announce a new partnership with Selle San Marco, an iconic name in the world of cycling saddles. This collaboration marks the coming together of two organisations that share a commitment to innovation, performance, and empowering athletes to achieve their best.

Beginning in the 2025 season, Selle San Marco will provide Team Novo Nordisk riders with cutting-edge saddles designed to enhance comfort, performance, and resilience during the most gruelling races on the international cycling calendar. Known for their meticulous craftsmanship and advanced technology, Selle San Marco products have been trusted by professional cyclists for decades.

“We are thrilled to partner with Selle San Marco for the upcoming season,” said Vassili Davidenko, Team Novo Nordisk General Manager. “Their commitment to excellence and innovation aligns perfectly with our mission to inspire, educate, and empower people affected by diabetes. With Selle San Marco’s support, our riders will benefit from world-class equipment as we continue to break barriers and prove what’s possible with diabetes.”

For Selle San Marco, this partnership represents an opportunity to contribute to a team that is redefining what it means to compete at the highest level of sport while managing a chronic condition.

“We are excited to re-enter pro cycling world with the Selle San Marco brand, and we are even more happy to do so with a team like Novo Nordisk, whose daily commitment goes far beyond sporting results,” said Riccardo Bigolin, Vice-President of the Selle Italia group, to which Selle San Marco belongs. “With this partnership, we are confident that we will bring our brand to be a reference in the pro peloton.”

The partnership comes at a pivotal time as Team Novo Nordisk looks to build on the successes of the 2024 season. With a roster of 20 talented riders competing across multiple disciplines and continents, the team continues to inspire millions of people living with diabetes through their achievements both on and off the bike.

 

Benidorm Wants the Cyclocross World Championships in 2029
The next UCI Cyclocross World Cup is in Benidorm on Sunday. The popular Spanish seaside resort made its debut in the most important cyclocross series in 2023 and in two years, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert have won the men’s races and Fem van Empel won both of women’s races. In 2029, the organisers want the cyclocross World championships to be in Benidorm.

The talks between the organisers and the UCI are said to be ongoing and they seem positive. Benidorm and the Valencia region are very keen to host the World championships. The success of the of the World Cup is obvious. The Spanish beach resort would also like to maintain that status in the coming years. According to sources, the World Cup brings a lot of tourism to Benidorm during the black period between the holidays of Los Reyes Magos (Three Kings) and San Valentín (Valentine’s Day). In other resorts on the Costa Blanca, the hotels are closed in January and February, but not in Benidorm.

The World Cup brings a lot of media attention and promotion in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Great Britain. Many tourists come to Benidorm and the surrounding area during this time of year to get away from the bad weather in the north of Europe. The World Cup brings more attention to the resort and so Benidorm has approached the UCI. The talks between both parties are said to be ‘quite serious’. The only problem is that organising a World championships is much more expensive than a World Cup. At the moment, regional governments, local authorities and sponsors from the business community are trying to get the necessary budgets for the World champs.

The World championships would take place on the same course as the current World Cup, in a park near the town centre. If it can’t be there, the organisers want to find a similar location in the seaside resort. The committee continues to see the added value of a competition and wants to continue the World Cup until and after the possible World championship in 2029. Economically, the plan seems to be a good one. The sporting aspect is also good. Felipe Orts, who lives in the next town to Benidorm, has put cyclocross on the map in Spain. There was more than a hundred cross riders in the youth categories during the Spanish cyclocross championship last weekend. “The Basque Country has a long-standing connection with cyclocross, but cyclocross is also on the rise in Asturias, Galicia and Valencia,” said a source from the organisers. “Orts is becoming increasingly popular in Spain. He really put cyclocross on the map for people who had never heard of it until three years ago. That is why Benidorm is a permanent fixture in the circuit for the coming years and certainly after a World Championship in 2029.”

World cyclocross champs in Spain?

 

Giro Demands Tudor to Start with Alaphilippe or Hirschi, or They will Lose their ‘Wildcard’
Cyclingnews reports that the organisers of the Giro d’Italia, RCS Sport, demands that Tudor start with Julian Alaphilippe or Marc Hirschi in their Grand Tour. If they don’t, they will lose their ‘wildcard’.

According to a ‘reliable source’, that if they lose their ‘wildcard’, it would go to Q36.5. The team of Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock, Dutchmen Sjoerd Bax and Milan Vader and Belgians Harm Vanhoucke and Frederik Frison.

The Giro race director, Mauro Vegni, has already responded to the allegations: “We haven’t decided yet about the wildcards for the Giro, you’ll have to wait a week until we make an announcement,” Vegni said no more on the matter.

The Giro wants Alaphilippe or Hirsci – or no team:

 

The Critérium du Dauphiné: A Dress Rehearsal for the Tour de France
The Critérium du Dauphiné is a very important race just before the Tour de France, but this year’s edition should be a real preTour battle. In the eight-day stage race, the two biggest favourites for the Tour victory: Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard will compete against each other.

Pogačar and Vingegaard fighting it out in the Tour is what we have been looking forward to every year recently, but apart from the Tour de France, the two don’t come up against each other much. Apart from the Tour, it has been two years since they raced against each other. In Paris-Nice 2023, Pogačar and Vingegaard both were going for the final victory. However, there was no real battle as Pogačar was the stronger and Vingegaard finished third behind the Slovenian and David Gaudu. After the 2023 Paris-Nice, Pogačar and Vingegaard battled in the Tour de France and it was Vingegaard who won.

Pogačar and Vingegaard to battle in the Dauphiné:

 

Giro d’Italia Women 2025: The Route has Been Announced
The women’s Corsa Rosa will kick off in Bergamo with an individual time trial on July 6, and finish on July 13 in Imola at the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari. In between, some major challenges await the athletes, including two summit finishes, with a total elevation gain of 14,000 m. The Passo del Tonale will be the Cima Alfonsina Strada. RTL 102.5 will be the official radio broadcaster. Una Nessuna Centomila—a foundation born to support women who are victims of violence and to promote women’s rights and gender equality—is the Charity Partner of the event.

The curtain is lifted on the 2025 Giro d’Italia Women, the second edition organised by RCS Sports & Events, which will take place from July 6 to July 13. The journey of the women’s Corsa Rosa resumes after an emotionally rich 2024 edition, marked by the nail-biting duel between Elisa Longo Borghini and Lotte Kopecky and the outstanding results achieved in terms of television audience and online engagement.

The presentation event, held at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone in Rome alongside the 108th Giro d’Italia, was hosted by Pierluigi Pardo, Barbara Pedrotti, Ignazio Moser, and Eleonora Incardona, with audience interviews conducted by RTL 102.5’s Paolo Pacchioni.

Among the attendees were many prominent figures from the worlds of sports, entertainment, institutions, and companies that are and will continue to be part of the Giro d’Italia family.

On stage were Elisa Longo Borghini, winner of the 2024 Giro d’Italia Women, and three riders who have made history in the Corsa Rosa: Vincenzo Nibali, Alberto Contador, Paolo Bettini and Marta Bastianelli. Antonio Tiberi, winner of the last Giro d’Italia Maglia Bianca, also spoke during the presentation.

Institutional representatives were present as well, including the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani; the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida; Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama; the President of ICE, Matteo Zoppas; the President of Enit, Francesca Priante; the President of Regione Abruzzo, Marco Marsilio; Silvia Salis, Vice President of CONI; Cordiano Dagnoni, President of Federciclismo; and Roberto Pella, President of the Lega del Ciclismo Professionistico.

The event was also attended by the Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri, the Councillor for Major Events, Sports, Tourism, and Fashion of Rome, Alessandro Onorato, RCS MediaGroup President Urbano Cairo, RCS Sports & Events Managing Director and General Manager Paolo Bellino, Giro d’Italia Director Mauro Vegni, and La Gazzetta dello Sport Director Stefano Barigelli.

The Route
939.6 km and 14,000 m of elevation gain (1,000+ more than in the previous edition) are on the menu of the 2025 Giro d’Italia Women. The race will feature an individual time trial, two flat stages, three medium mountain stages, and two high mountain stages. As in 2024, the race will start with a race against the clock.

The 13.6 km time trial on the streets of Bergamo will set the stage for the general classification. Riders aiming for the final Maglia Rosa will also need to be ready in the second stage, Clusone-Aprica. Meanwhile, the Vezza d’Oglio-Trento stage could provide the first opportunity for sprinters, despite the challenge of crossing the 1,883-m Passo del Tonale, designated as this edition’s Cima Alfonsina Strada.

The first half of the Giro d’Italia Women will conclude with the Castello Tesino-Pianezze (Valdobbiadene) stage, the first uphill finish of this edition. On the final climb of this stage, the legendary Fabiana Luperini claimed her first victory in the Corsa Rosa in 1995.

The race will resume in Veneto with the stage five, a completely flat route from Mirano to Monselice, offering a final respite before a gruelling final trio of stages. The Bellaria-Igea Marina-Terre Roveresche (Orciano di Pesaro) stage will feature a rolling profile and a classic-style finale, leading to the second uphill finish on Monte Nerone. The final ascent, with an average gradient of over 8%, is a debut for the Corsa Rosa.

On Sunday, July 13, the Forlì-Imola stage will be the grand finale – a route with 2,200 metres of elevation gain, which will include the circuit from the 2020 World Championships, featuring the ascents of Mazzolano and Cima Gallisterna.

The Stages

Stage 1, Bergamo-Bergamo Tudor ITT, 13.6km

An entirely urban time trial. The race starts at Chorus Life on wide and straight roads alternating with hairpin turns and gentle curves. The course passes near the historic Città Alta with a slight uphill segment before descending to the finish line at Sentierone.

Stage 2, Clusone-Aprica, 99km

The stage is divided into two parts: a downhill section to Lovere, followed by a steady, gradual ascent. The riders will cross the entire Val Camonica to Edolo before climbing to Aprica via the old road through Corteno Golgi. The route features no major difficulties except for a short, sharp climb in Santicolo just a few kilometres from the finish.

Stage 3, Vezza d’Oglio-Trento, 124km

The first sprint stage of the Giro. The stage begins with a challenging climb to Passo del Tonale (Cima Alfonsina Strada), followed by a long descent through Val di Sole and Val di Non. After Mezzolombardo, the route winds its way through vineyards with gentle undulations before crossing the Adige River and heading for the finish in Trento.

Stage 4, Castello Tesino-Pianezze (Valdobbiadene), 156km

This stage features a summit finish after a series of rolling hills in the Belluno area, with no truly flat sections. The riders will descend into Val Cismon, pass near Feltre, and skirt the base of the Dolomiti Bellunesi to Belluno. After navigating around Nevegal and leaving Lago di Santa Croce and Vittorio Veneto behind, they will face the steep Muro di Ca’ del Poggio. The route then crosses the UNESCO Prosecco Hills before the final climb to Pianezze (11.2km at 7%).

Stage 5, Mirano-Monselice, 108km

The last flat stage before the decisive final three stages. The entirely flat route starts in Mirano and passes through Mira, Dolo, Piove di Sacco and Conselve. A final circuit of 16.4km around Monselice on wide and flat roads skirts the Euganean Hills.

Stage 6, Bellaria-Igea Marina-Terre Roveresche (Orciano di Pesaro), 144km

A rolling stage that starts out flat before heading into the Romagna Apennines. The riders will climb through San Marino, Mondaino, Monteciccardo and Beato Sante, followed by sections in Cartoceto, Saltara and Villa del Monte. The final climb leads to the first pass over the finish line, followed by a 15-km circuit with a climb to Mondavio before the finish.

Stage 7, Fermignano-Monte Nerone, 157km

A queen mountain stage featuring a sequence of challenges with no respite. The route begins on rolling terrain leading to Monte Nerone, climbing its lower slopes to Pian di Trebbio. Descending towards Pianello, the riders will tackle a succession of climbs to Moria, Passo la Croce, Valico di Sitria and Valico di Croce Avellana. The final stretch includes climbs to Frontone, Cagli and Section, with the last 8 km averaging over 8% to the finish.

Stage 8, Foil’-Imola (Autodromo E. E D. Ferrari), 138km

A demanding mid-mountain final stage. After a flat start, the riders will enter the 2020 UCI World Championships circuit, which includes the challenging climbs of Cima Gallisterna and Mazzolano. The circuit will be covered four times, with the finish inside the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari in Imola.

 

Giro d’Italia 2025: A Challenging Route from the Very First Stages
The Giro d’Italia will start abroad for the 15th time in its history—this time in Albania, where the first three stages will take place—and finish in Rome, which will host the Grande Arrive for the 7th time. The race spans 3,413km with 52,500m of total elevation gain. Riders will face 2 individual time trials covering 42.3km, 6 sprinter stages, 8 medium mountain stages, and 5 high mountain stages from May 9 to June 1. Approximately 38 km of gravel roads will add to the challenge, including 30km of Strade Bianche in the finale of the Siena stage and 8 km on the Colle delle Finestre, which will be the Giro’s Cima Coppi at 2,178m. The Montagna Pantani will be the Passo del Mortirolo, while the Tappa Bartali will be the Gubbio-Siena stage, culminating in a spectacular finish at Piazza del Campo.

The routes of the 108th Giro d’Italia, scheduled from May 9 to June 1, and the Giro d’Italia Women, taking place from July 6 to 13, were presented at the Auditorium della Musica in Rome. Una Nessuna Centomila, a foundation dedicated to supporting women who are victims of violence and promoting gender equality, will be the Charity Partner of both events.

The presentation event was hosted by Pierluigi Pardo, Barbara Pedrotti, Ignazio Moser, and Eleonora Incardona, with audience interviews conducted by RTL 102.5’s Paolo Pacchioni.

Among the attendees were many prominent figures from the worlds of sports, entertainment, institutions, and companies that are and will continue to be part of the Giro d’Italia family.

On stage were Elisa Longo Borghini, winner of the 2024 Giro d’Italia Women, and three riders who have made history in the Corsa Rosa: Vincenzo Nibali, Alberto Contador, Paolo Bettini and Marta Bastianelli. Antonio Tiberi, winner of the last Giro d’Italia Maglia Bianca, also spoke during the presentation.

Institutional representatives were present as well, including the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani; the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida; Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama; the President of ICE, Matteo Zoppas; the President of Enit, Francesca Priante; the President of Regione Abruzzo, Marco Marsilio; Silvia Salis, Vice President of CONI; Cordiano Dagnoni, President of Federciclismo; and Roberto Pella, President of the Lega del Ciclismo Professionistico.

The event was also attended by the Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri, the Councillor for Major Events, Sports, Tourism, and Fashion of Rome, Alessandro Onorato, RCS MediaGroup President Urbano Cairo, RCS Sports & Events Managing Director and General Manager Paolo Bellino, Giro d’Italia Director Mauro Vegni, and La Gazzetta dello Sport Director Stefano Barigelli.

Grande Partenza: Albania
Three challenging stages, including an individual time trial through the streets of Tirana, set the tone for the 2025 Giro d’Italia in Albania. The opening stage ends in the capital with a challenging finale featuring two steep climbs with double-digit gradients, reminiscent of recent urban mountain stages. The time trial is followed by a stage finishing in Vlorë, featuring the ascent of Qafa e Llogarasë, the first climb above 1,000m in this year’s race.

First Week
After the first rest day on May 12, the race resumes with three stages that are likely suited to sprinters, but are not guaranteed to end in bunch finishes. The peloton climbs up the peninsula, culminating in the first summit finish in Abruzzo, in Tagliacozzo. After a stage finish in Castelraimondo, it will be time for the Gubbio-Siena stage, this edition’s Tappa Bartali, which features five sections of gravel roads (approximately 30km) before finishing in Siena’s iconic Piazza del Campo.

Second Week
The second rest day falls on May 19. The race resumes in Tuscany with a time trial from Lucca to Pisa, a modern homage to Knut Knudsen’s 1977 win. The following day, the Giro returns to the San Pellegrino in Alpe climb after 25 years, integrated into a tough stage with a finish in Castelnuovo ne’ Monti.

Next come three tricky but crucial stages: a likely sprint finish in Viadana, a punchy finale in Vicenza atop Monte Berico, and a stage with a cross-border circuit in Nova Gorica/Giros. The week concludes with a tough stage to Asiago, featuring 3,900m of elevation gain but no uphill finish.

Third Week
After the final rest day, the peloton faces a massive mountain stage in Trentino: five gruelling climbs packed into a single day, with an uphill finish at San Valentino (Brentonico) on Monte Baldo, overlooking Lake Garda.

The next stages include a dramatic finish in Bormio—featuring the Montagna Pantani, the Passo del Mortirolo—and a transition stage to Cesano Maderno.

The final two stages are designed for GC contenders. The first, from Biella to Champoluc, is short but features a staggering 4,950m of elevation gain, with uninterrupted climbing through the Aosta Valley. The second, from Verrès to Sestrière, revisits the legendary combination of the Colle delle Finestre (the 2025 Cima Coppi, featuring 8 km of gravel) and Sestrière, ensuring drama worthy of its 20th-anniversary appearance in the Giro.

The race concludes in Rome with a spectacular circuit through the Eternal City.

Numbers and Statistics:
3,413km in this edition
52,500m of elevation gain (10.000 more than in the previous edition)
15 starts from abroad for the Giro d’Italia
7 Grande Arrivo in Rome
38km of gravel in this edition
42.3km of individual time trials in this edition
5 times the Colle delle Finestre has been climbed (for the third time as Cima Coppi of the Giro).

# A PEZ Giro d’Italia 2025 ‘First Look’ coming soon. #

 

AlUla Tour: The international peloton faces desert traps
Organised in collaboration with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport, the Saudi Cycling Federation, and the International Cycling Union (UCI), the AlUla Tour represents Saudi Arabia’s continuously growing presence on the global sports stage, while promoting sustainable sports development and showcasing AlUla’s remarkable culture and history. It is part of the UCI Asia Tour and is rated as a category 2.1 event. This cycling event will showcase the various wonders the region has to offer, in a race you’ll need to be in top form to win.

The first flag will go down in AlUla, in front of AlManshiyah Train Station, which will also serve as the first stage’s finish. Though there is nothing particularly challenging on the 142.7 kilometres of this inaugural stage, the sprinters will have to watch their positioning if they are to earn the right to wear the leader’s jersey at the end of it.

The following day, AlUla Old Town will greet the riders as they set off for Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah, a new finish for the event. The first part of the stage starts in relatively calm fashion, but the final section promises to be explosive – riders will have to show resistance and daring when climbing Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah. With an average gradient of 9.2% and maximum of 15%, the 2.9 km climb will appeal to the most committed punchers, especially since they will have to climb it 3 times over the final 50 km of this 157.7 km stage.

The third stage between Hegra and Tayma Fort is a journey through the ancient beauty of AlUla. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, Hegra is the most important preserved site of the Nabataean civilisation and features monumental tombs with decorated façades, dating mainly from the 1st century BC. At the end of the 180.6 kilometres of this penultimate stage, the AlUla Tour will offer riders the chance to discover Tayma Fort, an archaeological site revealing treasures testifying to the activity of the region several hundred years ago.

After this day rich in ancient culture, the Tour provides a link to the modernity of AlUla, with the start of the fourth and penultimate leg of the journey providing a breathtaking spectacle in the form of Maraya – the largest mirrored building in the world – which reflects the natural landscape of AlUla. But the riders will have to remain focused as they set off on a 140.9 km route that will take them up to Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid, a 4 km climb, including one kilometre at an average gradient of 17%. Their efforts will see the fittest riders break away in the overall classification. The podium on this stage also served as the final podium in the previous edition.

The overall leader will have to be extra vigilant on the morning of the last stage of this AlUla Tour 2025, with the final route promising to force riders to battle it out for places. Traced in a loop around the Camel Cup Track, the 169.6 km route will be windswept, particularly in the final stretch and on the track usually dedicated to camel racing, a tradition rooted in the cultural history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world. The risk of echelons will be on everyone’s mind, and could disrupt the established order. Once the finish line has been crossed, we’ll know which rider has managed best to avoid the traps of the desert and win this fifth edition of the AlUla Tour.

Key points:

• From 28 January to 1 February, 17 international teams (including 6 UCI WorldTeams) will have their work cut if they want to triumph over the route prepared for this fifth edition of the AlUla Tour.
• On the agenda for this year’s edition are 5 stages with varied profiles, rewarding riders in good form after their winter preparations.
• From echelons and sprints to short and steep climbs in the desert of the AlUla region, the stage is set for a major battle at the start of the season.
• Hegra, Maraya, AlManshiyah Train Station, Tayma fort and the Camel Cup Track are just some of the locations that will serve as majestic backdrops to the pedal-based clash to be played out in AlUla.

The stages of the AlUla Tour 2025:
Stage 1, Tuesday 28 January: Al Manshiyah Train Station – Al Manshiyah Train Station, 142.7km
Stage 2, Wednesday 29 January: AlUla Old Town – Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah, 157.7km
Stage 3, Thursday 30 January: Hegra – Tayma Fort, 180.6km
Stage 4, Friday 31 February: Maraya – Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid, 140.9km
Stage 5, Saturday 1 February: AlUla Camel Cup Track – AlUla Camel Cup Track, 169.6km

The 17 selected teams:

 

Wout van Aert Invites Fans to Join Exclusive Community Ride on ROUVY

Ride With a Champion
Cycling fans worldwide are in for a treat as Belgian cycling superstar Wout van Aert announces a special community ride on ROUVY, the indoor cycling app that lets you ride real routes around the world. Scheduled for 21st January, this unique event offers riders of all levels a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to virtually pedal alongside one of the sport’s most accomplished athletes, courtesy of ROUVY’s partnership with Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

The ride, hosted on ROUVY, allows participants to connect with van Aert from the comfort of their homes while experiencing the thrill of riding through some of the most iconic virtual routes from around the world. Known for its realistic augmented reality technology, ROUVY brings the outdoor riding experience indoors, making it the perfect setting for this event.

A Unique Opportunity to Ride With a Champion
Van Aert, a three-time cyclo-cross world champion, multiple stage & green jersey winner of the Tour de France, and one of the most complete cyclists of his generation, expressed his excitement about the upcoming event: “Cycling has given me so much, and I love the idea of sharing that passion with fans and riders around the world. ROUVY makes it easy to connect and ride together, regardless of where we are. I can’t wait to see everyone on the virtual roads!”

Event Details

• • Date: 21st January, 2025
  • Time: 1800 CET (1700 UTC)

Route: Lago di Resia & Nauders | Italy

• Participants will not only ride alongside Wout van Aert but will also have the chance to see him during the session via a live stream on ROUVY’s Instagram account
• This event is open to all ROUVY subscribers, with free trials available for new users who want to join the ride.

How to Join the Ride

Joining the event is simple:

• Download the ROUVY app and create an account (or log in to your account if you already have one).
• Prepare your indoor cycling setup to be ready on the day of the ride.
• You’ll find the ride on the ROUVY home page in the app on January 21st, or follow the link here to see the ride info on the ROUVY website.

For more information or to register, visit www.rouvy.com.

 

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The PEZ NEWSWIRE!
Don’t forget to check the “NEWSWIRE” section, you can find it on the homepage, just above the PEZ Shop section. The bits of news that missed the EuroTrash deadline are in there, plus any news as-it-happens will be added there too.

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