Vuelta a Murcia suffers budget cut

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The future of the Vuelta a Murcia faces uncertainty after the local government cut €20,000 of funding for the event.

The news comes just weeks before the UCI 1.1 one-day race is scheduled to run on February 10, 2018.

The event organisers, Club Murciano Organizador de Carreras Ciclistas, were given no reason for the withdrawal of the funds. The race relies heavily on the subsidy, which amounts to roughly 30 per cent of the total budget for the race.

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"The organization of the Vuelta a Murcia was expected to continue in 2018, since this economic aid was included in the 2017 budgets at the behest of the four parliamentary groups in the regional assembly by unanimous agreement," the organisers said in a statement, according to EFE, "so this situation is a serious setback for the Vuelta a Murcia."

In October, the organisers asked the government to expand the subsidy to €35,000 so it could expand the race to two days, adding an individual time trial.

The race, once a five-day stage race, has been scaled back over the past decade as Spain's economy struggled. In 2012, it was cut to three stages after losing sponsors. By the following year, it was scaled back further to a one-day event, but remained on the international calendar. Local hero Alejandro Valverde won the last edition.

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Pinot to reduce race schedule ahead of 2018 Tour de France

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Thibaut Pinot has yet to decide on his participation in the 2018 Giro d’Italia, but FDJ manager Marc Madiot has already confirmed that the Frenchman will race more sparingly in the early part of the season in order to arrive fresh at the start of the Tour de France on July 7.

Pinot won a stage and placed 4th overall on his Giro debut in 2017, and remained in contention for a podium spot into the final day, but he paid a price for his Italian exploits in July and abandoned the Tour on stage 17.

The Tour will be the centrepiece of Pinot’s 2018 season, with Madiot explaining that his racing days in the opening half of the year will be capped, regardless of whether or not he lines out again at the Giro.

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FDJ – which will be rebranded as Groupama-FDJ from Monday – claimed an early stage win through Arnaud Démare on the 2017 Tour, but endured a wretched race thereafter, with only three riders making it to the finish in Paris.

“We have made our calculations and in both scenarios, he [Pinot] will start the Tour with a maximum of 32 days of racing,” Madiot told L’Équipe. “The order of the day is ‘freshness.’ Thibaut was lacking it last year, Arnaud too. For both, the culmination of 2018 will be the Tour de France.”

Pinot started the 2017 Tour with 46 days of racing in his legs. According to L’Équipe, Pinot is due to start his season at the Tour du Haut Var on February 17. He will skip Tirreno-Adriatico for the first time since 2013, and will return to the Volta a Catalunya for the first time since 2014, the year of his third place finish at the Tour.

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Van Avermaet at 'ideal age' to win more Classics

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Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) believes that he is at the “ideal age” to add to his tally of Classic victories. The Belgian, who turns 33 in May, won Paris-Roubaix, Gent-Wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2017, and is targeting Tour of Flanders victory in 2018.

Ahead of his 12th season as a professional, Van Avermaet told RTBF that he is not concerned by his advancing years, maintaining that he is better equipped than ever to add to his palmarès.

“I have more experience and that’s the most important thing,” Van Avermaet said. “For a Classics rider, this is an ideal age to win races. The experience I have accumulated is a real advantage. I think I’m better armed now than when I was 28 years old.”

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The Olympic champion enjoyed a sparkling 2017 campaign that culminated in overall victory in the WorldTour. The one disappointment of his Classics campaign came at the Tour of Flanders, where he won the sprint for second behind Philippe Gilbert after being brought down by world champion Peter Sagan’s crash on the final ascent of the Kwaremont.

Van Avermaet has finished on the podium of the Tour of Flanders on three occasions during his career and a maiden victory at De Ronde will again be his major objective in 2018, alongside Strade Bianche and Amstel Gold Race.

“Winning those two races [the Tour of Flanders and Strade Bianche – ed.] will be the most important for me,” Van Avermaet said. “In 2018, I want to win the events I haven’t yet won in my career. In fact, there are even three – Stade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders, but also Amstel Gold Race.”

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Pidcock takes Superprestige Diegem U23 win

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Van der Poel adds another win at Superprestige Diegem

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After a rocky start, Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon) prevailed to take his fourth Superprestige win in six races under the floodlights at Diegem. Wout Van Aert (Crelan-Charles) took second, 55 seconds back, while at 1:41 Laurens Sweeck (Era-Circus) rounded off the podium.

Saturday night’s race was the fourth of a five-part holiday cyclo-cross feast. Boxing Day’s World Cup round in Heusden-Zolder saw van der Poel take the win, while two days later at Azencross - part of the DVV Trofee - he was on top of the podium again. After two podium finishes, Van Aert struck back at Friday’s Brico Cross round in Bredene, setting up another battle here.

Things haven’t always gone smoothly for van der Poel this year, with a crash in Boom and mech problems in Gavere denying him a clean sweep of Superprestige victories. At the start of lap one it seemed as though bad luck had struck once again as the European champion hit a barrier.

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It was a minor crash rather than a somersault - the main victim being van der Poel’s position. He would have to fight his way back through the field while up front Van Aert put on a blistering pace to take advantage while he could, lining out the front group and getting a small gap at the end of the first lap.

It would only take another lap - the second of seven - for van der Poel to clear the riders in his path. At the end of it he lay 13 seconds behind Van Aert, a gap that vanished amazingly quickly. Just over half a lap later the pair were reunited in the sand, with Sweeck the only other rider within 50 seconds.

At the beginning of lap three van der Poel was on his way. A few metres, a handful of seconds and he was gone. By the uphill road section he looked out of reach, and the only question that remained unanswered was a familiar one: how much would van der Poel win by?

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Quick-Step Floors back Gaviria for Vuelta a San Juan sprints

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Quick-Step Floors have confirmed that Fernando Gaviria will kick-off his 2018 season at the Vuelta a San Juan (January 21-28), with trusted leadout man Maximiliano Richeze, Iljo Keisse, Rémi Cavagna and neo-pros Alvaro Hodeg and Jhonatan Narvaez, backing the Colombian in the four expected sprint finishes.

Gaviria landed his first ever professional victories at the 2015 Tour de San Luis in Argentina and will be looking to kick-start his 2018 season at the nearby Vuelta a San Juan. He and his Quick-Step Floors teammates will then stay in South America to ride the inaugural Colombia Oro y Paz race between February 6-11, with Julian Alaphilippe joining the squad in Colombia.

The Quick-Step Floors team have often secured their first victory of the season in South America and have racked up 15 victories in Argentina in the last five years. Gaviria won two stages at the 2017 Vuelta a San Juan, with Richeze taking two others and Tom Boonen taking the final victory of his career on stage 2.

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Gaviria went on to win four stages and take the points jersey at the Giro d'Italia in 2017. He is expected to target the sprints on his debut at the Tour de France in 2018. After Marcel Kittel's move to Katusha-Alpecin, Gaviria will share the sprinting responsibilities at Quick-Step Floors with Elia Viviani.     

“Vuelta a San Juan is a good race to start the season. We took five stage wins at the previous edition, so it’s only normal to line up at the start motivated to start the year with a good result,” directeur sportif Davide Bramati said in Quick-Step Floors' official announcement.

“Concerning our team, you can see it’s a mix of young and experienced riders, who will have their chances to shine, especially in the bunch sprints, so we are looking forward to this race.”

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Dumoulin savours his successful 2017 season

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Tom Dumoulin has looked back at his hugely successful 2017 season, revealing how his major victories at the Giro d’Italia, the BinckBank Tour and the World Time Trial Championships all boosted his confidence one after the other, confirming him as one of the sport’s biggest stars and a likely multiple Grand Tour winner in the years to come.

Dumoulin turned 27 in November and is entering the peak of his career. Team Sunweb have already confirmed that he will target the Giro d’Italia in 2018 before considering riding the Tour de France. However he is in no rush to focus fully on the Tour, preferring to wait until the moment is right and the course perhaps suits him better.

Dumoulin is intelligent and balanced; he is skilled at keeping external expectations under control. He continually plays down his own hopes but then celebrates and savours the moment when he exceeds them. He said he was hoping for a place on or near the podium at the Giro d’Italia but went on to wear the Maglia Rosa for nine days, win a time trial and a mountain stage to beat Nairo Quintana by 31 seconds despite losing two minutes after his famous toilet stop on the descent of the Passo Stelvio.

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He became the first Dutchman to ever win the Giro d’Italia, with his successful 2017 season earning him the title of Dutch Sportsman of the year.

“I’d hoped to finish as close as possible to the podium but it would also have been satisfied with seventh place. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d win the Giro d’Italia,” Dumoulin told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf in a personal review of his season.

Dumoulin describes his time trial world title in Bergen as his best day of 2017. The three weeks of the Giro d’Italia, was more of a learning process about his own ability and a roller coaster of emotions. The highs included chasing down Quintana and then winning on the climb to Oropa, followed by the anger and disappointment of losing time to his biggest rivals on the stage to Bormio due to his improvised toilet stop.

Stronger than ever going into 2018

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Quiz: Name the one-day race winners of 2017

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2018 is almost upon us, with Paris-Roubaix only 99 days away, but how much do you remember about the 2017 season and especially the one-day Classics?

Test your memory and expertise with our latest quiz. Match the images below with the race that they come from. Let us know your score in the comments section.

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Rouiller wins Superprestige Diegem junior race

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Cant takes Superprestige Diegem win

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World Champion Sanne Cant (Beobank-Corendon) won a floodlit edition of the Superprestige Ladies Trophy in Diegem, her first victory in the series this season. A tight race for second saw Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Canyon-SRAM) prevail, finishing 21 seconds back. Maud Kaptheijns (Crelan-Charles) finished third at 35 seconds.

Diegem was a special race in more ways than one. Firstly, it was a standalone, being seven weeks since the last round in Gavere and six until the penultimate round in Hoogstraten. It was also the only evening race on the calendar, and the first this year to welcome cycling stars Marianne Vos (WaowDeals) and Ferrand-Prevot (Canyon-SRAM).

A bigger story, though, was the fight for the overall title, with Cant (62 points) trailing close behind Kaptheijns (64) going into the round. After Kaptheijns’ 12th place in Gavere, the rankings were blown wide open, despite her winning the opening four Superprestige rounds.

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It looked as though the Dutchwoman had a point to prove at the start, going out hard in the mud in order to thin the field. A select chasing group soon formed, consisting of Cant, Ferrand-Prevot, Vos, Annemarie Worst (Era-Circus) and Laura Verdonschot (Marlux-Napoleon Games).

In contrast to her earlier dominant displays this season, Kaptheijns didn’t stay away but was quickly brought back. She looked among the strongest, though, riding at the front in the mud and stringing out the group at the end of the first lap.

Not long after she was off the front again, accompanied by Cant, and then on the uphill road section by Ferrand-Prevot. Verdonschot gave chase, but the lead trio enjoyed a 10-second gap at the end of lap two, a lead which would only increase.

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Volta a Catalunya 2018 route to have three Pyrenean stages

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Riders tackling the 2018 Volta a Catalunya will face a traditional combination of mid-race mountain stages in the Pyrenees and no time trial.

In 2017, the seven-day stage race included - very unusually - a team time trial, as well as an exceptionally tough summit finish at Lo Port in southern Catalunya on stage 5.

But in 2018, the organisers have opted for a much more traditional format, with the Volta likely to be decided after the race's second day in the Pyrenees on stage 4, which for the fifth year running favors climbers with a finish at La Molina ski resort.

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The one novelty included in the 2018 route is a stage to the remote town of Vielha in Catalunya's northwest, which last played host to a finish of the Volta back in 1993. That was an individual time trial won by Maurizio Fondriest.

The 2018 Volta a Catalunya starts with a lumpy circuit stage to the Mediterranean resort of Calella for the seventh straight year. A hilly transition stage then follows, taking the race from another coastal town, Mataró - which starts stage 2 for the fifth year in succession - across central Catalunya to another oft-used host city, Valls.

The mountain fireworks begin on stage 3, very probably the hardest day of the 2018 edition. Starting in Saint Cugat, close to Barcelona, the route climbs steadily to Vallter 2000, a 12-kilometre Pyrenean ascent close to the French border, averaging 7.4 percent. It was last used in 2014 with Tejay van Garderen taking the stage victory.

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Illuminate sign Martin Laas and Camilo Castiblanco

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US Continental team manager Chris Johnson has strengthened his Illuminate squad for 2018 with the addition of Estonia sprinter Martin Laas and Colombian climber Camilo Castiblanco. Simon Pellaud and Cameron Piper have both extended with the 10-rider squad that will continue to race in its familiar all-black kit.

In 2017, Edwin Avila took stages at the Tour de Taiwan, Tour d'Azerbaïdjan, and Sibiu Tour but the Colombian has signed with the Israel Cycling Academy for 2018. Laas will spearhead the team's sprint ambitions in place of Avila with Johnston explaining to Cyclingnews that he believes his balanced squad can challenge for stage wins and overall victories.

"For 2018 I was really trying to put together a well-rounded team and build on the team we had a lot of success with this year," Johnson told Cyclingnews. "We kept some core riders from the 2017 team and added some really strong riders we were able to attract because of our results. From the 2017 team, we have Cameron Piper who had a really solid season and got a lot of experience racing internationally and he will be someone next year who is maturing as a rider and will see some opportunity at the stage races we are doing.

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"We added a really strong sprinter in Martin Laas from Estonia and he is a young rider with three year's experience on the Delko team. I think he will fit into our programme really well personality wise. He is really hungry and looking for an opportunity to show how fast he is."

A former winner the 2015 Tour of Estonia, the 24-year-old Laas finished the 2017 season with four second place stage finishes in the Tour of Hainan, each time behind Jakub Mareczko (Wilier Triestina), and was second in the points classification. He's earned the team's confidence for the coming season.

"Riders like Simon and Camilo are anxious to go for stage wins but I think everyone recognises what a talented sprinter we have in Martin. We have never had anyone on the team before who has the sprinting results that Martin has. I think we'll have a real strong fast-finishing team that will go for stage wins or overall races with a time trial."

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Majka: New signings will make Bora even stronger

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After a disappointing 2017 season, Rafal Majka has his sights set firmly on the Tour de France next July. The two-time king of the mountains winner will kick-start his season at the Vuelta a San Juan in January and believes that Bora-Hansgrohe’s recruitment in the transfer market will make an already strong squad even more competitive.

The German-registered team dipped into the market during the summer and strengthened their squad in a number of areas. Daniel Oss was signed from BMC Racing in order to supplement Peter Sagan’s Classics contingent, while Peter Kennaugh and Davide Formolo have joined the stage racing element of the team.

"They are going to help us be even stronger, and with them, I think we will have all the elements we need to have a great year," Majka told the organisers of the Vuelta a San Juan.

The Argentine race starts on January 21 and provides warm-weather racing for the European pros that opt not to travel to the Tour Down Under in Australia. The mountain stages in San Juan also offer tougher terrain than the sprint-friendly stages in Australia.

Majka, who was third overall at the Vuelta in 2015 and has won stages of the Tour de France, will not be targeting the overall classification in Argentina but will use the race as a training exercise. That said, he will exploit opportunities should they come his way.

"The Vuelta a San Juan is a good opportunity to escape the cold European winter and enjoy the warm climate in Argentina. It’s wonderful to race in the heat while in Poland, my native country, it’s all snowy and the temperatures are below freezing," he said.

"It’s too soon to be in top form, although that doesn’t mean that I won’t be giving it my all, since I am a professional athlete who always gives it everything I can. Yes, of course, achieving a triumph will obviously be a welcome event, but it is not my main goal, even though I have to admit that the race has a very interesting route and excellent participation."

Majka came into the Tour de France in 2017 targeting the top-five. However, a crash took him out of the race alongside Geraint Thomas (Team Sky). Illness robbed him of the chance to show his best form at the Vuelta a España later in the year but the Olympic bronze medalist is looking to put all that in the past.

"It’s true that I had some bad luck in the Tour, what with the fall and all, but also in the Vuelta I had to contend with intestinal issues. However, these problems are all part of the sport," he said.

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"My personal philosophy is to do your best, so that once you’ve crossed that finish line you feel satisfied. This is why, in spite of the problems I’ve had to face, I feel satisfied to have won the Pandera stage in the Vuelta and to have come second overall at the Tour of California and the Tour de Pologne."

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Fortuneo confirm new name Fortuneo-Samsic and unveil 2018 jersey

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The Fortuneo team, newly home to Warren Barguil, have announced that they will be named Fortuneo-Samsic from 2018, confirming the arrival of the new sponsor on Friday as well as unveiling their new jersey.

The French Pro Continental team was known as Fortuneo-Vital Concept at the start of the 2017 season but changed to Fortuneo-Oscaro just ahead of the Tour de France.

After just six months, e-commerce company Oscaro steps aside, with Samsic, a business services and facility management company, coming in on a three-year deal.

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The change was reported in the French press two months ago but was only officially confirmed by the team on Friday. They had applied to the UCI for a Pro Continental licence under the name Pro Cycling Breizh – a holding name relating to the team’s home in France’s Brittany region.

Being from Brittany as well, Samsic helps guard the identity of the team. The company had previously invested in football – sponsoring the Stade Rennais team since 2004 – but the arrival of Warren Barguil, winner of two stages and the polka-dot jersey at the 2017 Tour de France, persuaded them to head into cycling.

Fortuneo, a banking company, have themselves signed up for another three years, meaning the team name is set to stay the same until the end of the 2020 season.

The 2018 jersey

— Team Fortuneo Oscaro (@FortuneoOscaro) December 29, 2017

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Caruso: Even if you're really good all you can do is follow Team Sky

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Damiano Caruso is well versed in fighting against the odds but the Italian admits that he and his BMC Racing teammates are really up against it when they take on Team Sky in the Grand Tours.

Caruso can often be found near the front of the peloton in the mountains, marshaling his leader, Richie Porte, against a tide of Team Sky riders. At the 2017 Tour de France, Caruso was often Porte’s last line of defense before a crash took the Australian out of the race on stage 9.

"I’m a Juventus fan, so to compare, Team Sky are like Barcelona or PSG," Caruso told Cyclingnews.

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"Then maybe BMC are like Juventus. We’re good, we’re close to the best, but I’ll be honest, we’re not the best team in the big tours. That’s Team Sky.

"It’s clear but there are many reasons, like budget. If you look at the nine riders they have at the Tour this year, what are the salaries? Maybe 15-20 million Euro. It means that if we make a mistake, it’s over. We can’t afford to do that. We saw this year what happened. Okay it wasn’t a mistake and what happened with Richie was an accident but it showed that we don’t have a second card to play with. With Team Sky, we’ve seen that they don’t make mistakes. Whether that’s luck or not, I don’t know."

Porte will lead the line once again for BMC Racing at the Tour de France in 2018, with Caruso acting as his loyal lieutenant. Tejay van Garderen will be deployed to help in the mountains but the Italian climber is well aware of the challenge they face. In recent years Team Sky have suffocated the life out of the Tour and, regardless of what happens with Chris Froome’s future, they are likely to still arrive at the race with a stacked team.

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Vuelta a Espana's decisive final week to start with Torrelavega time trial

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The third and most decisive week of the 2018 Vuelta a España is set to repeat 2017's tried-and-tested formula and open with a medium-length individual time trial. After that, it's back to the mountains.

The individual time trial is set to take place in Torrelavega in the northern region of Cantabria, the hometown of Vicente Trueba, the Tour de France's first ever King of the Mountains winner, back in 1933, and also of three-time world champion Oscar Freire.

The 2018 Vuelta would therefore repeat its 2017 formula, when it opened up the third week of racing with a medium-length, mostly flat time trial in Logroño, won by Chris Froome (Team Sky) en route to his overall victory in Madrid.

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Torrelavega's time trial, sandwiched between two mountaintop finishes in Asturias and the Basque Country's Monte Oiz, would be the last opportunity for the GC's non-climbing specialists. The city has already hosted two time trials in the Vuelta a España, one won by Santiago Botero in 2001, the other by Eddy Merckx en route to his sole Vuelta victory in 1973, a year when Merckx won five stages, the prologue, the intermediate sprints competition and the points jersey, as well as the overall.

Although officially under wraps until its presentation in Estepona on January 13, little by little, the 2018 Vuelta's route is becoming more widely known. An opening prologue in the southern seaport of Malaga will be followed by a return to El Caminito del Rey summit finish, where Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) took the leader's jersey and stage win in his breakthrough year of 2015.

The Vuelta a España is then expected to have its first major summit finish near Granada on stage four before diving briefly into Murcia, Alejandro Valverde's home region. A long overdue trek up Spain's western side then follows, with a stage finish at La Covatilla ski station, last visited in 2011 when Bradley Wiggins, final winner Juan Jose Cobo, and runner-up Chris Froome moved into pole position on the overall and Dan Martin won the stage.

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Haas headlines Katusha-Alpecin's Tour Down Under squad

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Nathan Haas will headline the Katusha-Alpecin squad at the 2018 Tour Down Under on his WorldTour debut for his new team. The Australian was fourth overall at the Tour Down Under in 2017, while Jhonatan Restrepo adds a secondary GC option having won the best young rider classification this year.

"Every year it seems more and more of the riders are fighting to be at the season opener, so for me, I'm lucky, everybody wants to be at my home race," Haas said in a press release issued by the race organiser.

"It's seriously getting better, bigger and faster every year. The course for 2018 I believe is going to show off the big fight between the Australian punchy riders. I predict a big showdown in Stirling. Bring on January."

Tiago Machado has also finished top-10 overall at the race in previous editions and for race director Mike Turtur, the 2018 Katusha-Alpecin team is one he tips to shake up the 20th edition of the race in January.

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"Haas has finished fourth overall at the 2017 race and fifth overall in 2014. Machado finished third overall at the 2012 race so it will be interesting to see their results in 2018," said Turtur.

Katusha-Alpecin's international roster for the 2018 WorldTour opener also includes José Goncalves of Portugal, Russian Pavel Kochetkov, Maurits Lamertink of the Netherlands, and Dane Mads Schmidt.

The 2018 Tour Down Under takes place 14-21 January around Adelaide, South Australia. For Matt White's guide to the 2018 Tour Down Under, click here.

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Tour Down Under: Latour to lead AG2R La Mondiale

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AG2R-La Mondiale has confirmed its team for the 20th edition of the Tour Down Under headlined by Pierre Latour. The French WorldTour team has lined out in Adelaide, South Australia since the race's debut in 1999 and enjoyed a record four overall wins.

In 2018, Latour will make his Australian racing debut at the race and along with Mikael Cherel leads the team's GC aspirations.

"Once again we expect Ag2r La Mondiale to be very competitive. We all know their history at our race, producing the most Santos Tour Down Under overall winners, with Gilles Maignan in 2000, Mikel Astarloza in 2003, Australia's Simon Gerrans in 2006 and most recently Martin Elmiger in 2007," race director Mike Turtur said of the AG2R-La Mondiale team announcement.

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"The team sets solid foundations with their riders – I mean, you only have to look at the success Simon Gerrans has had since his first win in Adelaide. He's the only rider to have won the Santos Tour Down Under four times."

Latour, who won the French time trial title and the best young rider jersey at the Tour de Romandie in 2017, has emerged as a GC rider since finishing third at the 2015 Route du Sud. With top-ten results in his first stage race of the season, 24-year-old Latour will be aiming to replicate his success on Australian soil.

Domenico Pozzovivo, who has moved to Bahrain-Merida from 2018, was the top finisher for AG2R-La Mondiale for the last two seasons. Along with the GC focus, classics rider Stijn Vandenbergh will also start his season down under in preparation for the European spring. Frenchmen Axel Domont and Nans Peters, Italian Matteo Montaguti, and Luxembourger Ben Gastauer will also line out for AG2R-La Mondiale.

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Van Aert prevails in slimy Brico Cross Bredene

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Arzuffi wins in Bredene

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Matt White's 2018 Tour Down Under race guide

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In 2018, the Tour Down Under celebrates its 20th birthday. The WorldTour opener returns to Port Adelaide where the first stage of the race started from in 1999. On the start line at the inaugural edition of the race was Mitchelton-Scott sports director Matt White.

During his riding career, White won a stage of the race into Yankalilla in 2005 but it's been in the team car that he has enjoyed great success. In 2011, White masterminded Cameron Meyer's overall win, returning the following year with GreenEdge to guide Simon Gerrans to the win. In 2014 and 2016, White was also behind the wheel as Gerrans claimed the overall win. During his time at the race, White has also overseen countless stage wins including four by Caleb Ewan in 2017.

With his extensive knowledge of the roads that feature in the Tour Down Under and winning record at the race, Cyclingnews spoke with White for a comprehensive stage-by-stage preview of the 2018 edition of the race. 

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People's Choice Classic, 50.6km

Adelaide usually turns up the heat so for the non-Australians it is an early season shock to the system.

It is not officially part of the Tour Down Under but it is a chance for the sprinters to get their timing right and it can be the first time for many teams that certain combinations have raced together. It is a good opportunity to get the ball rolling for the start of the season.

I think Caleb Ewan will definitely be the guy to beat in this little race teaser. Obviously, Peter Sagan and Andre Greipel will be our main competition but, as we stand, I don't know any other world-class sprinters who are down to race.

Stage 1: Port Adelaide to Lyndoch, 145km

Stage 2: Unley to Stirling, 148.6km

Stage 3: Glenelg to Victor Harbor, 146.8km

Stage 4: Norwood to Uraidla, 128.2km

Stage 5: McLaren Vale to Willunga, 151.5km

Stage 6: Adelaide street circuit, 90km

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Cortjens wins junior men's Azencross

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Iserbyt tops U23 men's Azencross

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Cant wins in Loenhout

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Sanne Cant (Beobank-Corendon) continued her winning success at the DVV verzekeringen trofee-Azencross in Loenhout on Thursday. The world champion won the race solo. Lucinda Brand (Sunweb) won the sprint for second place ahead of Katie Compton (Trek) in third.

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Mathieu van der Poel wins Azencross

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Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon) won the DVV verzekeringen trofee-Azencross in Loenhout on Thursday. The Dutchman soloed to victory 35 seconds ahead of rival Wout Van Aert (Crelan-Charles) and a minute ahead of third-placed Toon Aerts (Telenet Fidea Lions).

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Bassetti and Girkins complete 2018 Elevate-KHS roster

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The addition of Sam Bassetti and Kevin Girkins completes the 2018 roster for US Continental team Elevate-KHS. In all, five new recruits will join six returning riders on the team's 11-man roster.

The team previously announced renewing with general classification threat James Piccoli and sprinter José Alfredo RodrÍguez, as well as adding three new riders in Scott Law from Cylance, Jordan Cheyne from Jelly Belly and George Simpson from Gateway Harley Davidson. Also returning from the 11-man 2017 roster are Eder Frayre, Brian McCulloch, Nick Torraca and Cory Williams.

“We are really excited about the team we have put together,” Elevate-KHS General Manager Paul Abrahams said in a statement released by the team. “Sam and Kevin are the final pieces that we were looking for to add some additional strength and depth to the team. We truly believe that we have assembled one of the best teams in America and are excited for the opportunities we have ahead of us.”

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Bassetti, 26, raced on the Continental level in 2014 with 5-Hour energy and in 2015 with IRT Racing. He competed the past two seasons with Herbalife-Marc Pro, winning six road races in 2017, including three stages at the Tour of Poyang Lake in China.

“Winning three stages in China really got me back on track," Bassetti said. "It was an incredible boost of confidence realising that all of my years of hard work were starting to pay dividends.

“I am excited to race against the best in the world this year," he added. "Having the opportunity to race the Tour of Utah and the Colorado Classic in 2018 are on the top of my list this year. I want to prove to the team that I can win when called upon and also be a fantastic team player.”

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Colbrelli targets major Classics win in 2018

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Sonny Colbrelli will ride his second season at WorldTour level in 2018, and the Italian sprinter has his eyes set on a major Classics win to crown the occasion. After joining the top level of cycling with Bahrain-Merida, Colbrelli rode his first serious Classics campaign this spring. The campaign came with some promising results, and Colbrelli now has a taste for the cobbles.

"I want to try and get a victory or a podium in a big Classic," Colbrelli told Cyclingnews at Bahrain-Merida's training camp in Hvar, Croatia earlier this month.

"I hope to become a good rider like the big names in the WorldTour, but at the moment I feel like I have a small place. I will try to turn myself into a Classics rider in the next years."

Colbrelli was not a Classics rookie going into this year, with several appearances at the Three days of De Panne and a ride at last year's Gent-Wevelgem, but 2017 was the first opportunity he had to go large in Belgium. With Bahrain-Merida's Classics man Heinrich Haussler out with a knee injury, the 27-year-old had little pressure and plenty of freedom. Seventh at E3 Harelbeke and 13th at Gent-Wevelgem was a strong start, but the top 10 at the Tour of Flanders came as a bit of a shock, even to Colbrelli.

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"I was surprised, too, because to be in the top 10 in my first Flanders is a very good result. It's a very special kind of race," explained Colbrelli. "You have to be attentive for the whole race, there is no rest time. You always have to be in the front and looking. I hope that with a year of experience that next year could be a bit better. I'd like to try and confirm that top 10, and maybe get even more."

Flanders will be a big target in the first part of Colbrelli's 2018, along with Milan-San Remo, where he finished 13th last year. After recovering from his knee injury, Haussler will be there to help Colbrelli in next year's Classics campaign. The pair will split the Cobbled races, with Colbrelli focussing on some of the hillier races such as Flanders, as Haussler hopes to take the reins at Paris-Roubaix. The veteran German has said that he will assist Colbrelli throughout the Classics, calling the Italian 'the real deal'. The pair has only had minimal race days together, but Colbrelli believes it could be a fruitful partnership.

"Haussler is a rider with a lot of experience in the Classics, but last year he was quite unlucky. We only really met each other at the end of the season this year and hopefully next year everything will work well," Colbrelli told Cyclingnews.

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Vuelta a Andalucia returns to Allanadas three years after Froome's summit victory

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The Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol 2018 route will include a summit finish at the Alto de Allanadas, the scene of Chris Froome's dramatic stage victory in 2015. The course will conclude with a final time trial in Barbate.

It constituted a spectacular early season duel between Froome and arch-rival Alberto Contador [who raced for Tinkoff-Saxo at the time] back in 2015. Froome's stage 4 solo win on the Alto de Allanadas enabled him to bounce back from a stinging defeat by Contador 24 hours earlier on stage 3, which took place in a snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Taking the lead at the Alto de Allanadas from Contador, albeit by just one second, also set Froome up to become Britain's first-ever overall winner of the 82-year-old race.

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One of Spain's best known early season events, the five-day Vuelta a Andalucia will start in very similar fashion to 2017, climbing inland from the Mediterranean coast for a rugged finale through the hills surrounding Granada.

Stage 2, the most mountainous of the race, concludes on the Alto de Allanadas, averaging 12 per cent over three kilometres for a third time since 2010. Andalucia's one 'transition' stage then follows, on stage 3, with a flattish run from the town of Mancha Real - at the foot of the Peña del Aguila climb where Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) outpaced a flagging Contador in 2017 - to Herrera in western Andalucia.

Stage 4 heads from Andalucia's capital, Sevilla, southwards to Alcala de los Gazules, the race's second uphill finish, not as hard as Alto de Allanadas, but which includes short sections of cobbles and ramps of up to 18 per cent. Andalucia's biggest innovation, though, is to shift its individual time trial from its usual mid-race point to the final day. Starting and finishing in the village of Barbate in the province of Cadiz, the time trial will include six kilometres of rough trackway, running uphill through a natural park, and is expected to decide the race.

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Ricco plans to race again after blood-doping ban

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Riccardo Riccò has promised to return to racing when his ban for blood doping ends in 2023, despite considering himself a pariah of the sport compared to many of his former Grand Tour rivals.

The disgraced Italian will be 40 in 2023, but during a long interview published by La Gazzetta dello Sport he insists he will be competitive.

Ricco was banned for 12 years in 2012 after already serving a two-year ban for his positive test for CERA at the 2008 Tour de France. He was also caught up in an investigation into the sale of stolen hospital medicines before moving from Italy to the Spanish island of Tenerife, where he now owns an ice cream parlour.

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"I'll be 40 when my ban ends in 2023. I'll be competitive. If I was training now, I'd be stronger than ever, I feel it. Some teams want me and if not I'd create my own team. Whatever, sooner or later I'll be back racing," Ricco told La Gazzetta dello Sport, still showing his usual bravado during an interview. The interview took place in his lawyer's office in Rimini in the presence of his latest wife, Melissa, who he married a year ago.

"I've now got a ice cream shop in Tenerife. I even make ice cream for dogs. Things are going well. Perhaps it's because I'm now working but I think I've changed. I like making ice cream but there's nothing like my love for cycling.

"I don't ride much, but I still love it. Riding helps me relax. I don't watch much racing, but I see my former colleagues go as fast as ever, if not faster. Valverde is like balsamic vinegar, the older he gets the better he is. I like [Fabio] Aru, [Peter] Sagan is unique and is good for cycling. I like [Vincenzo] Nibali, too. He's the best rider we have in Italy."

'I prefer chemical doping to mechanical doping'

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Team Sunweb confirm Dumoulin will return to Giro d'Italia in 2018

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Team Sunweb have confirmed that Tom Dumoulin will again target the Giro d'Italia in 2018 before considering if he will also ride the Tour de France.

The German-registered team will reveal their goals for 2018 at an official presentation in Berlin on January 4. Last week well-informed Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and Cyclingnews sources said the Dutchman would return to defend his 2017 victory at the Giro d'Italia. 

Today De Telegraaf quoted a team spokesperson as saying: "Tom is going to the Giro for the classification. After the Giro d'Italia we are going to analyse his performance and only then will we decide whether he will also ride the Tour."

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The official Giro d'Italia Twitter account also confirmed Dumoulin's presence, writing: "Tom Dumoulin will ride the #Giro101 to defend the Maglia Rosa!".

Team Sunweb also let slip their goals for 2018 in a trailer for their Creating Memories video shows. Graphics previewing the show from the January 4 team presentation said that Coryn Rivera will talk about her Classics ambitions, Dumoulin will talk about defending his Giro d'Italia title in 2018 and Michael Matthews will again target stages at the Tour de France.

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2019 Tour de France to start with road stage and TTT in Brussels

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The 2019 Tour de France will begin in Brussels, with the Grand Depart expected to include an opening road race stage visiting both Flanders and Wallonne as a sign of Belgian unity. Stage 2 will be a team time trial in Brussels, according to a report published by Het Nieuwsblad.

The Brussels Grand Depart was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Eddy Merckx's first overall victory. However his presence is still in doubt after a fall-out with race organiser ASO over the running of the Tour of Oman.

The mayor of Geraardsbergen, in the heart of Flanders, has been lobbying hard in the hope that the legendary Muur van Geraardsbergen – so often used in the Tour of Flanders, will host the finish of stage 1. Greg van Avermaet has backed that plan, however ASO also organise Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege in the Wallonne part of Belgium, and so may have other ideas and may be under pressure from the French-speaking part of the country.

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Full details of the 2019 Tour de France Grand Depart will be revealed on January 16.

Brussels has welcomed the Tour de France on 10 occasions, and hosted the Grand Depart in 1958. It first hosted a stage finish in 1947, when Rene Vietto won stage 3, and the race returned in 1949, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1992 and, most recently, 2010 when Alessandro Petacchi won stage 2 in a sprint.

With the Vendée in France hosting the start of the 2018 edition, the current trend of the Grand Depart taking place in a foreign city every other year is maintained.

No Merckx, no party?

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Ochowicz: Van Garderen will win a stage race before the Tour de France

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Jim Ochowicz believes that Tejay van Garderen will win a WorldTour stage race before the 2018 Tour de France, where the American will ride as a domestique for Richie Porte.

Van Garderen has endured a difficult few years as a GC rider after two top-five performances at the Tour de France earlier in his career. He faded in the Giro d'Italia in 2017 despite winning a stage, then claimed 10th at the Vuelta a Espana, but will not target the overall classification in a Grand Tour in 2018.

"I'll tell you this right now, Tejay will win a WorldTour stage race before we get to the Tour de France. He will. He's got a responsibility to live up to that position. I think we're on a new track to fix things," Ochowicz told Cyclingnews at BMC Racing's recent training camp in Calpe, Spain.

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With Porte set to lead BMC at the Tour de France and Rohan Dennis provided with an opportunity at the Giro d'Italia, van Garderen finds himself facing a demotion. That said, the American will target a number of week-long stage races in the first half of the season before heading to the Tour and at 29, and in a contract year, he knows that this could be final chance to prove his worth at the team.

The American is certainly making sacrifices. He and his young family are set to pack up their home in the US and make Spain their permanent abode. The move, Ochowicz thinks, will help the rider focus and keep him on track during the year.

"He's in the perfect place. I think you're going to see more from Tejay in 2018 than you've seen in his career so far. This is going to be his year," Ochowicz told Cyclingnews.

Riding for Richie 

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Women's Tour Down Under: Garfoot headlines UniSA-Australia squad

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Australian road and time trial champion Katrin Garfoot will headline the UniSA-Australia squad for next month's Women's Tour Down Under. The strong squad also includes Tiffany Cromwell, Shara Gillow, Lauren Kitchen and Rachel Neylan.

Garfoot was the overall winner of the race in 2016 and was seventh in 2017 riding in support of Orica-Scott teammate and overall winner Amanda Spratt. Garfoot, 34, is taking a break from professional cycling after April's Commonwealth Games but will first use the Australian cycling of racing to press her claims for national selection.

"I am happy to have a spot in such a fantastic team this summer, these girls deserve a ride and I am proud to be a part of the team," said Garfoot. "My goal is to have a great race plan and to have great race with the team."

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"I think it is great that all the girls get a chance to ride the UCI races this summer, especially these races counts towards the Commonwealth Games selection. I may know that I have ticked a lot of boxes for selections, but for me that still does not take the pressure off. I still have to perform on my best standard.

"Having the opportunity to race this Australian summer season will give us all a chance to test our legs and get us back into a race routine ahead of the Commonwealth Games."

The sixth and final member of the team will be announced followed the Australian national championships in early-January.

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Tamayo steps down as general manager of UnitedHealthcare

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Mike Tamayo has stepped down from his position as general manager and director of the UnitedHealthcare Professional Continental men's and UCI women's programs after eleven seasons contracted with the team's owners and operators Momentum Sports Group. Tamayo told Cyclingnews that he has been gradually moving away from the sport but felt that December was the best time to announce his departure, ahead of the 2018 season.

"It's not an easy decision to make, to walk away from an organisation that I've been part of for a long time, that I helped build, and after accomplishing everything that we've accomplished," Tamayo told Cyclingnews.

"Over the years, I kept moving the finish line to reach new goals and I feel like I’ve crossed a lot of those finish lines, met a lot of my goals. I want to take a step away for a moment, catch my breath, look back, and appreciate what I've been able to accomplish."

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UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling originated from the former Health Net Cycling team, which was launched by Momentum Sports Group in 2003. After six seasons of running the UCI women's team Victory Brewing, Tamayo took a job as Health Net Cycling's assistant director in 2007.

The team re-organised into OUCH presented by Maxxis in 2009 and then as UnitedHealthcare in 2010, which upgraded to Professional Continental status the following year. They launched the UCI women's team in 2014.

"I will not be replaced. The directors we have are driven. Rachel Heal, on the women's side, is focussed, and Sebastian Alexandre and Hendrik Redant, are learning how to work more and more together on the men's team," said Tamayo, who believes team will thrive in 2018.

Men's team signs Velazquez, kicks off season at Tour of San Juan

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Reichenbach testified to UCI in Moscon case

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Sebastian Reichenbach has made a quicker than expected recovery from his injuries suffered in a crash at the Tre Valle Varisine, and will mark his return at the Drôme-Ardèche Classic on February 25. The FDJ also rider revealed that he has given testimony to the UCI regarding the crash, which his team says was purposely caused by Team Sky's Gianni Moscon.

"The UCI received my testimony not long ago, those of riders witnessing the accident two or three weeks ago. There is also an action in the civil court. Obviously, Moscon did not call me," Reichenbach said in an interview posted to the FDJ team website.

Reichenbach says he has "turned the page" on the incident, and is awaiting the UCI's decision. But he still has vivid memories of the crash, which came two hours into the race.

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"In a descent, I didn't see anything coming. There was no danger, I was not tense, I was even relaxed because there was no pressure in the pack, it rolled along nicely. I was alone. It was not dangerous and then I felt a shock to my left shoulder."

Reichenbach suffered an open fracture to his elbow which required surgery and a fractured pelvis. As he lay on the tarmac, he told his team doctor that a rider had pushed him. The team later identified Moscon as the offender.

Moscon denied causing Reichenbach to crash, speculating that the Swiss rider lost his grip on the bars. Reichenbach, however, speculated that the incident was payback for an earlier incident in which he inadvertently outed Moscon for racially abusing teammate Kévin Reza - leading to a six-week suspension of Moscon by Team Sky.

• Moscon racially abuses Reza at Tour de Romandie
• Team Sky suspend Moscon over racist insults
• FDJ blame Moscon for Reichenbach's season-ending crash
• Moscon denies causing Reichenbach crash
• Reichenbach files complaints against Moscon with police and UCI
• Lappartient watching Moscon affair 'very closely'

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Former 'cross world champion De Jong to return at GP Sven Nys

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Thalita de Jong, the 2016 cyclo-cross world champion, will mark her return to racing at the GP Sven Nys on January 1.

The 24-year-old has not raced cyclo-cross since being injured in a crash during the World Cup in Hoogerheide at the end of January. Almost one year later, de Jong will finally mark her comeback.

"I hope I'm fit enough," de Jong said according to Sport.be. "I will start in Baal to see where I stand. I will take it week by week, race by race."

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De Jong has suffered from a lingering knee injury that interfered with her training. A premature return to racing on the road hampered her recovery, and she opted to skip the first half cyclo-cross season in September.

She now hopes to race the Dutch championships on January 13 in Surhuisterveen.

De Jong will also begin the year racing for her new team, Experza-Footlogix after her current team, Lensworld-Kuota lost its sponsors and had to fold.

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Stricker completes Bizkaia Durango-Euskadi Murias roster for 2018

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Spanish UCI women's team Bizkaia Durango-Euskadi Murias announced Tuesday that they have completed their 2018 roster with Anna Stricker. The Italian was set to race with Lensworld-Kuota but the team announced that it would fold after losing their title sponsor.

"My situation, after what happened with Lensworld, was not easy at all for me and I was really worried that I had to stop cycling," Stricker said. "But Bizkaia Durango-Euskadi Murias was the team which still believed in me and gave me the chance to continue chasing my dreams."

Stricker, 23, joins the team after competing with BTC City Ljubljana in 2017. In previous years, she raced with Inpa-Bianchi, Astana BePink and MCipollini-Giordana, all UCI women’s programs.

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Strickers had success this year placing third in a stage 2 at the Women’s WorldTour series’ Tour of Chongming Island, where she finished sixth overall. She placed second in stage 2 at the Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour. She also won the mountain classification at the Festival Elsy Jacobs. She won a stage at the 2016 Giro della Toscana, was second at the 2015 Giro del Trentino and fourth at the 2014 GP Comune di Cornaredo.

Stricker is aiming to have a strong start to the season with her objectives taking her through the spring Classics and hopefully to the Giro Rosa in July.

"For 2018, I would like to have a good start to the season at the Setmana Valenciana, following with the spring classics in Belgium and Holland, because I love these kinds of races.

— Bizkaia-Durango (@BizkaiaDurango) December 26, 2017

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Van der Poel extends as Corendon team gets new name and Canyon bikes

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The Beobank-Corendon team will be named Corendon-Circus in 2018 and will race on Canyon bikes. The two big changes were announced on Wednesday but there was one key constant in that star rider Mathieu van der Poel will continue to lead the line, having signed a contract extension that keeps him there until the end of 2020. 

Van der Poel has dominated this winter's cyclo-cross campaign, topping the World Cup standings with five victories so far. He started riding for Beobank-Corendon in 2014, having come through the team's development set-up, and already had a contract for next year but has just committed his long-term future to the team and to cyclo-cross. The prodigious Dutchman is thought to be planning a move to road racing after the XC mountain bike race at the 2020 Olympic Games. 

"I have been feeling well with this team for years. Signing up was therefore a logical option," said Van der Poel. "In the coming years I want to develop myself further as a rider and to push my limits. In that respect, the team and I are on the same line and that is very important to me.

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"My program is being mapped out towards the Olympic Games in 2020. That is what top mountain biking is all about. And that preparation starts right after the cyclo-cross season. On March 10 I will ride the first World Cup of the season in Stellenbosch and I will normally complete the entire World Cup."

The new name comes as Beobank steps aside as lead title sponsor after two years. Corendon, an Turkish airline company that joined as title sponsor at the same time, steps up to the lead slot, while team has brought on a new sponsor in Circus, a Belgian betting company. Circus already sponsors the Era-Circus team, led by Laurens Sweeck, and Belgian website Sport.be report that they will continue to do so until the end of the cyclo-cross season in March. 

Both Corendon and Circus have signed three-year deals, starting on January 1, to secure the sponsorship of the Roodhooft brothers' team through to the end of 2020. 

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Aru to ride Giro d'Italia in 2018

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Fabio Aru has said that he will target the Giro d’Italia next season and not the Tour de France, as previously suggested by his team. Aru told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport that he would spend the early part of the season at altitude before riding Tirreno-Adriatico and Liège-Bastogne-Liège ahead of the Italian Grand Tour.

“From January 20, I will spend a couple of weeks on Teide [in Tenerife]. It's the first time I've been there in this period,” he told Gazzetta. “After that, I will do Tirreno-Adriatico and probably Liège before the Giro. The rest of the program is yet to be established."

The 2018 Giro d’Italia will begin in Jerusalem on May 4 and finish in Rome on May 27. Aru will go up against the Tour de France and Vuelta a España champion, Chris Froome. The Team Sky rider is attempting to do the Giro-Tour double next season but his participation is up in the air while he is under investigation by the UCI after an adverse analytical finding for salbutamol.

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This year’s Giro champion Tom Dumoulin is reported to be returning to defend his title. Thibaut Pinot, Louis Meintjes, and Orica-Scott riders Esteban Chaves and Simon Yates have all confirmed their participation.

Aru's update will likely come as a relief to Dan Martin, who joins Aru as a new signing at UAE Team Emirates next season. Earlier this month, team manager Giuseppe Sarroni suggested to Cyclingnews that Aru could appear alongside Martin and sprinter Alexander Kristoff at the Tour de France next July. Aru’s confirmation that he will ride the Giro d’Italia does not rule out a start at the Tour six weeks later but it increases the likelihood that he would start it as a helper rather than a leader.

After his training camp on Mt Teide, Aru is set to start his season at the Abu Dhabi Tour at the end of February. The Italian has already been taking in the altitude metres with a Christmas Eve trip to Sestriere. The climb will feature on stage 19 of next year’s Giro d’Italia, as part of a four-mountain monster of a stage.

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Coquard and Vital Concept made to sweat over final Tour de France wildcard

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Bryan Coquard has a nervous wait on his hands as he faces the prospect of missing out on the Tour de France for a second year in succession. According to French sports newspaper L'Equipe, the wildcards for the Tour will be decided in a month's time and, with a surfeit of eligible candidates, Coquard's new Vital Concept team look most likely to miss out. 

Each year the ASO hands out four wildcard invitations for second division teams, and in 2018 there are seemingly six in the running: Cofidis, Direct Energie, Fortuneo-Oscaro, Delko-Marseille Provence KTM, Vital Concept, and Wanty-Groupe Gobert (the only non-French outfit).

Cofidis and Direct Energie have longstanding relationships with the Tour and are pretty much shoe-ins for 2018 - with star riders in Nacer Bouhanni and Lilian Calmejane respectively - as are Fortuneo-Oscaro, who have raced the past four editions and now have the 2017 king of the mountains, Warren Barguil.

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The fourth slot looks less certain. It is unlikely to go to Delko, leaving a scrap between the Belgian Wanty-Groupe Gobert and newcomers Vital Concept. Logic may dictate that the ASO would lean towards Vital Concept, a thoroughly French team created by former pro Jerome Pineau and spearheaded by a talent like Coquard. 

However, Wanty stood out on their debut in 2017, animating breakaways and finishing 14th in the teams classification. The French connection is there also, with sponsors from Wallonia - the French-speaking region of Belgium - and a base near the border, while their leader is the promising Frenchman Guillaume Martin, who finished third on the stage to Station des Rousses this year and fifth in the young rider classification.

"We deserve our place," said team manager Jean-Francois Boulart, according to L'Equipe. "[Race director] Christian Prudhomme has always said that he wouldn't take a team that had just been created - that they must first prove themselves. I hope that's the case for 2018, even if, for him, it's not an easy decision."

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Small: Women's cycling can't just sit here and complain, we have to do something

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Former rider turned directeur sportif Carmen Small says that her new venture with The Cyclists’ Alliance is about creating something for women's cycling and not just “bitching about what we're not getting." Small is one of three members on the board of The Cyclists' Alliance alongside founder Iris Slappendel and Orica-Scott rider Gracie Elvin.

"We want to create a better environment for the riders to be able to negotiate and know what their rights are. We can’t just sit here and complain and say this isn’t right, we have to do something about it,” Small told Cyclingnews. "We need to look at the economics of the sport and how we bring in more sponsors, what is the value.

"Our value isn't going to be the same as the men, and it's about understanding that and how to bring more fans and sponsors and partnerships into the sport. It's bigger than just a normal union, it's not just about bitching about what we're not getting. It's about creating something that's ours."

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After more than a year’s worth of work, The Cyclists' Alliance was announced last week as the first women’s-only rider's union. The door has been left open for men to join in the future, but its primary focus is to push on the women’s side of the sport. In its press release, Small made a bold statement, saying that she believed women's cycling was on the verge of becoming one of the most commercially lucrative women’s sports. She expands on that for Cyclingnews, saying the sport needs to utilise its stories as it finds its own path.

"I think we are moving in the right direction, but we have to do it in our own way and it might not be how the men do it. I think that is the million dollar question because we don't have the answer to that yet. I think we will progress to that point," explained Small.

"Women’s cycling isn’t about the cycling, it’s about the empowerment and the inspiration. The racing is fun to watch and it's exciting, but it's also the background to it and the stories."

Fighting for your rights

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Pidcock tops Iserbyt to take take Heusden-Zolder win

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Kopecky wins Heusden-Zolder World Cup junior race

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Mathieu van der Poel back from illness to win Heusden-Zolder World Cup

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European champion Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon) won the seventh Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup round in Heusden-Zolder (Belgium) on Boxing Day. After a week full of doubts, the 22-year-old rider set the cyclo-cross records straight again.

The Dutch ace finished solo on the dry and fast course, having time to display a wheelie at the finish line. Belgian riders Laurens Sweeck (ERA-Circus) and a disappointed world champion Wout Van Aert (Crelan-Charles) joined the Dutchman on the podium. It was the fifth World Cup win of the season for Van der Poel. Nevertheless, he expressed his relief since he received a beating from Van Aert at the World Cup round in Namur last week.

“It was really nice to win again today after my bad race in Namur last week,” Van der Poel said in the post-race flash interview. "I wasn’t faking illness. There was no other reason to skip Sint-Niklaas. It wasn’t possible. In hindsight it was the best call to make at that moment."

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A week of illness for Van der Poel, combined with a good training camp and convincing performances for Van Aert, seemed to have turned the cyclo-cross season around. The domination from Van der Poel seemed over and Van Aert appeared to be back in the running. Before the start, Van der Poel was in doubt. He skipped Saturday’s race in Sint-Niklaas because he wasn’t capable just yet. Van Aert had a bag full of confidence after finally being able to get a few wins.

During the opening lap, Van der Poel set the pace. Van Aert was glued on his wheel, and also the Telenet Fidea Lions’ duo Lars van der Haar and Daan Soete were able to keep up. At the backend of the course, the Telenet-duo had to set foot on the ground while the top guns rode up the steep climb. During the second lap, a confident Van Aert put Van der Poel in trouble.

The Belgian rider even rode away from the Dutch rider after the latter had a hiccup at the set of stairs. Van der Poel managed to close the gap back down with a big effort on the long finishing straight of the former F1 car racing circuit.

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Cant wins Heusden-Zolder World Cup

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After a thrilling final lap, world champion Sanne Cant (Enertherm-Beobank) captured 100th career victory at the seventh Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup round in Heusden-Zolder (Belgium) on Boxing Day.

Cant held off US champion Katie Compton (KFC Racing) and Italian champion Eva Lechner (CLIF Pro Team) on a fast, dry course at the former F1 car racing circuit. After her win, Cant was asked about how she felt about her 100th 'cross victory.

“Very happy. Last week, I didn’t make it. I really would’ve liked to win here. The spectators were just amazing, so I really wanted to win. It’s a World Cup in my hometown. It’s the most beautiful place to take it,” Cant said in the post-race flash interview.

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With only two more rounds left in the World Cup, the overall win is nearly in the pocket for Cant, who has 489 points and extends her lead to 113 points over Kaitlin Keough (Canondale-Cyclocrossworld.com). Keough finished a distant 16th place in Zolder.

After a good start, Cant was always in control of the race, even though other riders took the initiative early on. Lucinda Brand (Team Sunweb) and Ellen Van Loy (Telenet Fidea Lions) exchanged the lead position during the two first laps. Brand briefly gapped the rest of the field, but the Dutch rider was unable to hold on to her lead.

Six riders rode in the front group during the second lap, including Brand, Van Loy, Cant, Lechner and also Marianne Vos (WM3) with Nikki Brammeier (Boels-Dolmans). Compton, Katerina Nash (CLIF Pro Team), Keough, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Canyon Factory Racing) and Sophie de Boer (Breepark.nl) all had a slower start.

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Small: We can't just sit here and complain, we have to do something

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Former rider turned directeur sportif Carmen Small says that her new venture with The Cyclists’ Alliance is about creating something for women's cycling and not just “bitching about what we're not getting." Small is one of three members on the board of The Cyclists' Alliance alongside founder Iris Slappendel and Orica-Scott rider Gracie Elvin.

"We want to create a better environment for the riders to be able to negotiate and know what their rights are. We can’t just sit here and complain and say this isn’t right, we have to do something about it,” Small told Cyclingnews. "We need to look at the economics of the sport and how we bring in more sponsors, what is the value.

"Our value isn't going to be the same as the men, and it's about understanding that and how to bring more fans and sponsors and partnerships into the sport. It's bigger than just a normal union, it's not just about bitching about what we're not getting. It's about creating something that's ours."

ADVERTISEMENT

After more than a year’s worth of work, The Cyclists' Alliance was announced last week as the first women’s-only rider's union. The door has been left open for men to join in the future, but its primary focus is to push on the women’s side of the sport. In its press release, Small made a bold statement, saying that she believed women's cycling was on the verge of becoming one of the most commercially lucrative women’s sports. She expands on that for Cyclingnews, saying the sport needs to utilise its stories as it finds its own path.

"I think we are moving in the right direction, but we have to do it in our own way and it might not be how the men do it. I think that is the million dollar question because we don't have the answer to that yet. I think we will progress to that point," explained Small.

"Women’s cycling isn’t about the cycling, it’s about the empowerment and the inspiration. The racing is fun to watch and it's exciting, but it's also the background to it and the stories."

Fighting for your rights

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Cant claims 100th career victory in Heusden-Zolder

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Sanne Cant (Beobank-Corendon) claimed her 100th career victory at the UCI Telenet Cyclo-cross World Cup on Tuesday in Heusden-Zolder, a place she considers her hometown. She took the win ahead of American Katie Compton (Trek) and Italian Eva Lechner (Clif Pro Team).

"I deserve a piece of cake," said Cant, who was surprised with a large cake with the number 100 written across the top in frosting as she stood on the top step of the podium.

"I am very happy with my 100th victory."

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Cant competed on December 23 at the Waaslandcross in Sint-Niklaas. She had a slow start and could not make up the lost ground on eventual winner Lucinda Brand (Sunweb). She expressed her disappointment that she did not take her 100th career win on that day, but it made her win in Heusden-Zolder three days later all the more important.

"Last week I could smell that victory, but then I just could not win," Cant said in a report on Nieuwsblad.be and in the post-race flash interview. "I am therefore very happy to win here, a World Cup in my hometown. It does not get any better. The spectators were amazing. It was a beautiful place to take the win."

Cant started the final lap patiently waiting on the wheels of Compton and Lechner, who swapped taking the lead in a strategic battle for the win. Thirteen seconds back, a group of five that included Brand, Marianna Vos, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Ellen Van Loy and Laura Verdonschot tried to claw their way back to the three leaders.

— Sanne Cant (@Sannecant) December 26, 2017

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Oss: Peter Sagan is the main reason I joined Bora-Hansgrohe

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Daniel Oss has told Cyclingnews that the chance to link up with Peter Sagan was the main driving force behind his transfer and that the world champion is not comparable to anyone else in the WorldTour.

Oss left BMC Racing in the summer having lined up alongside Greg Van Avermaet, Philippe Gilbert and Thor Hushovd during his five years with the team. His move to Bora-Hansgrohe was announced in the summer, and although he will replicate his Classics role at the German team, he believes that riding with Sagan will inspire him.

“I’ve moved from one leading Classics rider to another. If you’re going to compare them, then for sure Peter and Greg are both at the top level,” Oss told Cyclingnews.

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“One has been the world champion three times, the other is Olympic champion. One has won Paris-Roubaix, the other has won Flanders. I’m at Bora because I’m going to stay with Peter until the end of the races. That’s my job and my position but I also have ambitions. With Peter it could be nice to have some good results. It’s not always the strongest who wins, so tactics can play a part. Racing with Peter is always good fun though and he inspires.

“You have to remember that Bora is just a second-year WorldTour team. You can feel it in the team that they constantly want to improve. They don’t just stop with one rider, they want to keep going and that really helps with motivation when you’re a rider. You feel like you’re growing too.”

Oss and Sagan both share the same rider agent and the move certainly strengths Sagan and Bora’s position in the Spring Classics. Oss has solidified his position as one of the most reliable one-day riders in the WorldTour and the transfer also sees the two riders return as teammates for the first time since their Liquigas days.

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Quiz: Name the race 2017

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The new season is almost upon us, but how much can you remember about the one that has just gone? See if you can match the pictures below with the race that they come from in our 2017 edition of the name the race quiz. 

 

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Mathieu van der Poel set to start Heusden-Zolder World Cup

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Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon) has recovered from a recent illness and will start the UCI World Cup in Heusden-Zolder on Boxing Day Tuesday, confirmed his father Adrie van der Poel in a report on Veldritkrant.be.

"We looked at it day by day," Adrie van der Poel said. "Mathieu starts in Zolder and there are no changes for the time being in the rest of his program."

Mathieu van der Poel was sick with a cold ahead of the World Cup in Namur on December 17. He struggled through the race but managed to finish third, losing over a minute to the day's winner Wout Van Aert (Crelan-Charles) and two seconds back from runner-up Toon Aerts (Telenet Fidea Lions).

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He took the week off and resumed training on Friday. He did not start the C2 race in Waaslandcross in Sint-Niklaas on Saturday, an event Van Aert won. 

After the World Cup in Heusden-Zolder, Van der Poel will be at the start of the DVV verzekeringen trofee - Azencross in Loenhout on December 28 and Cyclocross Bredene on December 29. He will then race the Telenet Superprestige Diegem on December 30, his final race in 2017.

Van der Poel will race DVV verzekeringen trofee - GP Sven Nys on January 1 in Baal.

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Unreleased Shimano S-Phyre shades caught hiding in plain sight

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This article originally appeared on BikeRadar

We have it on good authority that the shades to be worn by LottoNL-Jumbo for 2018 are an as-of-yet unreleased addition to Shimano's top-tier S-Phyre range.

Hiding in plain sight, the team is pictured toting two new sets of shades that will fill a glaring gap in Shimano's premium brand.

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Both glasses appear to share the same lens, with one a conventional and one frameless design. The sculpted arms are also shared and bow outward, presumably to clear helmet straps easily.

The silhouette of the lairy goggle-like shades is not totally unlike the universally loved Oakley Jawbreaker and definitely follows the ‘more-is-more' trend when it comes to coverage.

The rest of the team's kit is also S-Phyre and presents an ongoing collaboration between the team and Shimano.

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Season's greetings from the UCI - Video

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The UCI sent out season's greetings to the cycling community this weekend, releasing this video that commemorates a year's worth of 2017 UCI World Champions. From cyclo-cross in January to the road world championships in September, there were plenty of rainbow jerseys handed out throughout the year. Check out the video above to relive some of cycling's best moments in 2017.

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Geraint Thomas returns to Paris-Roubaix in 2018

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After skipping the Classics in 2017, Geraint Thomas will return to take on Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège next season.

The Welshman, who confirmed his participation and leadership hopes for next year’s Tour de France in an interview with Cyclingnews last week, has also outlined the rest of his early season ambitions.

Unlike in previous years, he will not begin his season in Australia at the Tour Down Under, and will instead make a later debut at the Volta ao Algarve in the spring. Tirreno-Adriatico will also feature on his programme, before he returns to altitude training.

He will miss the bulk of the early spring cobbled races, including the Tour of Flanders, but will return for Paris-Roubaix in a Team Sky line-up that will also include Ian Stannard and Gianni Moscon.

"There are a lot of big races in the build up to the Tour, so I’ll start with Algarve, then do Tirenno and then do some training camps. Then I’ll come back and ride Paris-Roubaix, which is exciting. With the cobbled stage in the Tour it’s a good excuse to go back and ride that Monument," he told Cyclingnews.

"It’s a race that I love, along with Flanders, but I’ll be in Tenerife then. It won’t be ideal preparation but everyone knows that anything can happen in Roubaix. I just want to be there in the final and help Stannard and Moscon. That’ll be exciting. Then I’ll do Liège, [the Tour de] Romandie, the [Critérium du] Dauphiné and then Tour. It’s a lot of big races. I’m raring to go."

Thomas sat down with Team Sky’s management last week to finalise his programme. He will have a free role at the Tour de France but a lot will depend on Chris Froome’s future, with the four-time winner currently building a defence after returning an adverse analytical finding for salbutamol at the Vuelta a España. Froome could be cleared but he could also face up to two years out of the sport with a ban.

For now, Thomas is just focusing on the element he can control.

"I left the meeting excited. They said that if I’m looking better and feeling stronger then they will support me," he said.

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"Time will tell with that, I guess, but I’m excited about the Tour and the races leading up to that."

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Van Aert and Brand dominate in Sint-Niklaas

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Wout Van Aert (Crelan-Charles) and Lucinda Brand (Sunweb) were strongest at the UCI C2 Waaslandcross held in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium on Saturday. The event was held as a warm up ahead of the World Cup Heusden-Zolder, the seventh round of the series held on Boxing Day Tuesday.

It was Van Aert's sixth win of the season, which includes two World Cup wins in Zeven and Namur. 

The world champion pulled ahead of his competition in Waaslandcross on the fourth lap and finished solo ahead of Telenet Fidea Lions teammates Toon Aerts and Quinten Hermans. Top rival Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon), who was sick at the World Cup in Namur a week ago, did not start in Sint-Niklass.

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"The idea was to save myself a little bit in the beginning with a view to the cross races that are still to come," Van Aert said in an interview with Sport.be. "Halfway, I came up with Quinten and Tim [Merlier] in front. When I came out of the sand, I had a small lead, and after a lap I already had a nice lead and I did not want to make any mistakes."

It was a closer battle in the women's race with Brand taking the win from world champion Sanne Cant (Beobank-Corendon) by a mere two seconds. Sophie De Boer finished in third 20 seconds back.

It would have been Cant's 100th career victory, according to Sport.be, however she had a slow start while Brand dominated the opening lap to take an early lead.

— Lucinda Brand (@lucinda_brand) December 23, 2017

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