Alexander Kristoff wins RideLondon Classic

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Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) sprinted to victory at the RideLondon Classic on Sunday, beating Magnus Cort Nielsen (Orica-Scott) and Michael Matthews (Sunweb) to the line on The Mall.

The sprinters' teams left it until late to marshal escapees Matteo Trentin (Quick-Step Floors) and Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) but ultimately made the catch with a kilometre to go to set up a bunch finish.

Bora-Hansgrohe led the pack into the final 500 metres for Sam Bennett, with the final lead-out man peeling off with around 250 metres to go as Bennett launched his effort. The Irishman couldn't fend off his surging rivals, however, with Kristoff pulling past on his right to take a commanding lead that he held all the way across the line to triumph in the event's first running as a WorldTour race.

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Cort Nielsen made a late push to finish a close second, with Matthews settling for third ahead of a surprising Sep Vanmarcke (Cannondale-Drapac).

Kristoff's victory – his second at the WorldTour level this season after Eschborn-Frankfurt – will be a welcome change of pace for the Norwegian on the heels of a frustrating Tour de France, where he was unable to win a stage. It comes at a time of uncertainty as well, with Kristoff undecided on whose kit he'll wear next season after his current contract with Katusha runs out at the end of this year.

"We weren't able to win at all in the Tour, so we wanted to bounce back today," Kristoff said. "Today we showed we still have a good level and everybody was committed. I knew this course and knew it suited me quite well."

How it unfolded

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Tour de Pologne: Modolo wins stage 2

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The 900-metre downhill finish in Katowice in the Tour de Pologne is one of the fastest and most unusual finales on the WorldTour calendar, and it was Sacha Modolo (UAE Team Emirates) who emerged from a hotly-disputed bunch sprint to take victory on stage 2 on Sunday.

A regular part of the Tour de Pologne route, Katowice's broad, fast, runway-like downhill finishing straight, has only been won once by a non-sprinter in the last eight editions, when Taylor Phinney triumphed back in 2013. But on this occasion, as Katusha-Alpecin and Team Sky reeled in late attacker Petr Vakoc (Quick-Step Floors) on the final corner, there was little possibility of anything but an extremely high speed charge for the line deciding the stage.

Modolo launched what he later called a classic but late sprint, in which the added downhill speed was offset a little by the stiff headwind, pulling hard out of a little knot of riders on the right hand side of the peloton with some 150 metres to go.

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As a wave of eight or nine sprinters, divided by relatively little thanks to the speed of the descent, approached the finish line spread across the road, Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) seemed too far back and was blocked in. Modolo faced late threats from Danny van Poppel (Sky), third on stage one, on his left, with the Dutchman's sibling and fellow sprinter Boy van Poppel (Trek-Segafredo) closing fast on Modolo's right. A well-timed lunge for the line gave the 30-year-old Modolo the victor, while Danny van Poppel took second and had the consolation prize of taking over in the leader's jersey from Sagan.

"There was a strong headwind so I had to wait for a while to make a move, but my teammate Roberto Ferrari was really good at leading me out and then I could go for it," said Modolo, whose previous best placing in the Tour de Pologne was in his race debut back in 2012, when he placed third behind Zdenek Stybar on a stage. "I might not have been among the top favourites here, but sometimes I can carve out a win for myself."

Although the stage finale was a dramatic one, the preceding 140 kilometres on another short, fast stage across southern Poland from the pretty little town of Tarnowskie Gori to the much bigger conurbation of Katowice had big crowds and plenty of support for the peloton, but regrettably little in the way of excitement.

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Kate Courtney clinches 2017 Pro-XCT Title

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Newly crowned USA Champion Kate Courtney (Specialized) rode away from Canadian Champion Emily Batty to put a lock on the Pro-XCT Series for this season. Batty finished second, while USA Marathon Champion Rose Grant took third place. Canadian Maghalie Rochette (Clif Pro Team) claimed fourth place, while Boston native Crystal Anthony (Riverside Racing) rounded out the podium in fifth place.

Racing in unseasonably cool temperatures on a cloudy day, racers were treated to miles of twisty singletrack and rock gardens on the Adams Farm in Walpole, Massachusetts. What the course lacked in climbing it made up for in terms of rocks, roots, and the level of concentration required to conquer the ever-changing course.

Kate Courtney took the hole-shot and basically never looked back. Only Emily Batty was able to match her pace, but then lost Courtney's wheel during the fourth lap.

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Courtney explained her race to Cyclingnews, "I've been on the East Coast racing for three weeks now so I've had a lot of experience on rocky, rooty courses with lots of turns that require a lot of focus. They are more about riding smoothly than putting down a lot of power. I have practiced that a lot during the last few weeks…those tiny seconds added up, along with trying not to make mistakes, and recovering where I could.

Courtney added, "I was able to get away with it today."

Emily Batty also weighed in on her race, "This is my first time to Boston and it was actually a really fun course to ride. I arrived just a day and a half a go, so coming from the West Coast Canadian National Championships, then home, then down here I definitely feel a bit sluggish from travel."

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Yonathan Monsalve wins 2017 Tour of Qinghai Lake

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Chris Blevins takes out Boston Rebellion

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Nineteen year-old Chris Blevins (Specialized) battled Australian Champion Dan McConnell (DanAndBec) for six laps to take the win on Adams Farm and assume the lead in the Pro-XCT Series. Former World Cup winner McConnell had to settle for second place as he cramped in the final rock garden. Sany Floren finished in third place, just two seconds behind McConnell.

With fifty-five starters from several different countries riding on the relatively flat course at Adams Farm, it was difficult for anyone to get away from the peloton. But somewhere on lap two, Blevins and McConnell got a gap and then set a pace that nobody could match. Blevins seemed to have a slight advantage on the small, punchy climbs, while McConnell was slightly stronger on the flats.

Blevins commented on is race with McConnell, "It was an absolute honor to be able to battle with him. I had to kind of check myself to realize whom I was racing against. The past two weekends in Vermont, and at Nationals (at Snowshoe Mountain), were like mental battles to keep yourself flowing through the roots and the trees. And today there was a lot of that."

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Blevins added, "I think he (McConnell) cramped on the last rocky section and after that I kind of surged ahead, but it was a good battle."

McConnell explained what happened at the finish, "I didn't have the legs to back myself in a sprint so I just went for it during the last rock garden, trying to get a gap because I knew I was fairly strong through there the last few laps. But, I just went off-line and my leg locked up pretty bad, so I had to just coast it in to the finish."

The Pro Men will compete in Short Track Racing on Sunday at Adams Farm. 

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Viviani rules out breaking Team Sky contract to join UAE Team Emirates

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Elia Viviani has confirmed that he will race for Team Sky after August 1 and that he will remain with the British WorldTour team in 2018. Reports in July had suggested that, after missing out on a spot at the Giro d’Italia, the Italian would make a mid-season transfer to UAE Team Emirates and race with them for the remainder of the season and into 2018.

At the RideLondon Classic Viviani put the speculation of a mid-season – and a switch in 2018 – to bed and insisted that he would honour his contract with Team Sky for next season.

“I’m happy at Team Sky. Absolutely, I was disappointed to miss the Grand Tours and the Giro, we all know that, but I really hope to do those races next season,” he told Cyclingnews.

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During the Tour de France respected Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport had reported that Viviani had agreed a two-year deal with UAE and that Team Sky was willing to let him leave. On those specific reports, Viviani added, “I’m not interested in what they say. They need to show attention to what they put in the paper because they said it was an official report but it wasn’t true.”

When asked if he would go to UAE in 2018 Viviani said: “No, no no. I’m happy with Team Sky, and I have one more year left on my contract. I signed with them last year.”

Cyclingnews asked if he was 100 per cent certain on remaining with Team Sky. “Yes. I don’t want to talk more than this but yes.”

Next goal: the European Road Race championships

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Niewiadoma: Canyon-SRAM was the only team I wanted to go to

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Katarzyna Niewiadoma has said that Canyon-SRAM was the only place she wanted to go after making the decision to leave WM3 Pro Cycling at the end of the season. The Polish climber told Cyclingnews that she has known for some time that she'd like to move to the German squad, run by Ronny Lauke, and recent talks with the team only furthered her determination.

"They always looked professional, everything always seemed in place. It's a nice group of people, with a lot of positive vibes. I've known for a while that if I decide to change the team, they would be the first choice. After the talks, I honestly didn't feel like looking for another option. It feels like a place to be," Niewiadoma told Cyclingnews.

The 2017 season is Niewiadoma's fourth in the professional peloton. This year, Niewiadoma took a surprising OVO Energy Women's Tour overall victory, and showcased her abilities in other Women's WorldTour races, taking second in Strade Bianche, and podium spots in all three races at the first ever women's Ardennes week, as well as sixth overall in Giro Rosa.

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"I'm not thinking much about future plans, I'm not expecting. I feel good about the transfer. There will be a lot of motivation to work together and strive for the best results in the new season."

Sixth in Women's WorldTour team rankings, at Canyon-SRAM Niewiadoma will race alongside former teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, as well as riders such as Hannah Barnes, Elena Cecchini and Trixi Worrack. The addition of an explosive climber seems a good fit for the squad. Niewiadoma will be supported by a number of strong riders in key stage races, but won't have to shoulder all the leadership pressure, allowing for better focus on more mountainous races.

"They have some really strong girls, some fast-finishers too. I'm happy that I'll be able to ride races in support of other riders, not just waiting for the final. There will be more opportunities and in terms of stage races I will have more support," the young Pole explained.

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Tour de Pologne yellow jersey a consolation for Van Poppel

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Team Sky's Danny van Poppel is still searching for his first win since February after two close calls at the Tour de Pologne. Despite missing out on victory to first Peter Sagan on stage 1, then Sacha Modolo on stage 2, the Dutchman has the consolation of the first WorldTour leader's jersey of his career.

Van Poppel won the prologue of the Herald Sun Tour in February and wore the leader's jersey there, but his European campaign has been largely underwhelming besides the Hammer Series where he helped Sky take the title.

The Vuelta a Espana stage winner has found his sprinting consistency in Poland with his third and second stage results parachuting him into the race lead ahead of Sagan on cumulative results thus far in the race. Speaking after the narrow loss in Katowice, van Poppel explained that despite the good work of his teammates he couldn't finish the job.

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“It was a hot day, and we knew the finish would be very fast so we focused on the final lead out. The team did a great job, and it was really close. I'm a little bit disappointed (to not win the stage) but, yes, I have the leader's jersey and it will be nice to race tomorrow in it, in such a big race," he said.

With local knowledge from Michal Golas and Lukasz Wisniowski, the 24-year-old added that he knew what to expect for the fast 900-metre downhill finish and had his gearing adjusted accordingly.

"I have two Polish teammates Golas and Wisniowski that have told me about it. They told me about the finish of today, that it was very fast, so I put a 56 on, it was almost a victory, after not a great start to my season. It's a good way to start the second part of my year," he added.

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Sagan loses Tour de Pologne lead

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Ninth place on stage 2 of the Tour de Pologne saw Peter Sagan lose his overall race lead to Danny van Poppel. The world champion won stage 1 with van Poppel third and with the Sky fastman second on stage 2, Sagan drops to second on GC tied on time with the Dutchman.

The downhill finish in Katowice is renowned as one of the fastest finale's in WorldTour stage racing with Jonas Van Genechten's hitting 80.8 km/h in 2014 and Marcel Kittel 78 km/h in 2015. While Modoo's stage winning top speed was slower at 74.74 km/h, Sagan explained that he was blocked in during the final and was unable to open his sprint. The Slovakian was forced to settle for ninth place, a length back from Modolo.

"As expected, stage 2 of the Tour de Pologne was very fast and finished with a bunch sprint. The team did a very good job of protecting me – pulling hard at the front to close the gaps and neutralise the attacks," said Sagan of the result. "Unfortunately, I was closed in the finale and wasn't able to sprint the way I wanted. However, I felt in good form and with strong legs, so I'm confident about my chances in the upcoming stages."

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Sagan also lost his lead in the points classification to van Poppel but will wear the white jersey on stage 3 as the second placed rider as the Sky man will be wearing the yellow jersey.

Bora-Hansgrohe's sports director Christian Pömer explained the team had been focused on keeping Sagan at the head of the race all day but found themselves lacking numbers in the final and out of position.

"Due to the high speed sprint, with the final kilometre a downhill slope to the finish, we knew today not only strong legs would count – you would also need luck in timing. With Peter in yellow, the team had the added responsibility of working hard to close all the gaps, therefore we lost two riders during the stage because they gave their all," Pömer said.

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Kristoff bounces back from Tour disappointment with RideLondon Classic victory

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After the disappointment of the Tour de France which was bookended by a high-speed crash, Alexander Kristoff bounced back in style to win the RideLondon Classic. The Norwegian hadn't won in May 1 with the pressure building as to where he will ply his trade in 2018.

"It was great to win here. After the disappointment of the Tour it's really nice to bounce back and win in London," a relieved Kristoff said of his seventh win for the 2017 season.

The 30-year-old had the Katusha-Alpecin team at his disposal on the sprint friendly parcours and with Mads Würtz Schmidt in the early-breakaway, enjoyed a relaxed start to the race. As the break started to the splinter with the spring finale getting closer by the kilometres, Bora was the team to take up the chase. Working for its sprinter Sam Bennett, the German squad lead into the final kilometre, and Bennett was in pole position with 500 metres to race.

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Explaining he is still feeling the effects of his stage 17 Tour crash, Kristoff was full of praise for his teammates who shepherd him through the day and dropped him off in the lead out for the win.

"I knew my body was healing after the crash and luckily I had enough strength in my legs today to win. It's been a long time without a big win for me and I was so frustrated in the Tour, but I knew my head was there; I just needed to get my legs back," said Kristoff of the win ahead of Magnus Cort and Michael Matthews.

"I was suffering on the climbs but my team did an amazing job to bring the break back at the end. That's what we needed to do to win but we've not been team racing so well recently."

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Britton flying under the radar at Tour of Utah

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Among the riders gathered in a Utah State University auditorium for the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah pre-race press conference on Sunday, one name was conspicuously absent.

Rob Britton, the Rally Cycling rider who was fifth last year and is the highest 2016 finisher in this year's race, was back in the dorms with his teammates enjoying some down time.

Operating out of the spotlight is not new for Britton, who at 32 has evolved into one of the top stage racers in North America but is often left out of conversations that focus on the up-and-coming riders Britton regularly beats.

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Britton excelled at the Tour of California in May, but his herculean efforts in the breakaways at the WorldTour race contributed to victories for teammate Evan Huffman. After missing the crucial breakaway on stage 2 and watching his general classification aspirations disappear up the road, Britton joined Huffman and three other riders in sticking a breakaway two days later to the finish in Santa Clarita, where Huffman took the win and Britton followed him in for second.

Britton was active again on the Queen stage, jumping away from the select lead group on the penultimate climb, dropping Team Sky's Peter Kennaugh and then holding off the GC group until the early slopes of the final climb up Mt. Baldy.

The very next day, Britton was in the break again with Huffman, supplying the power to keep the move away and set up Huffman's second stage win of the race.

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Silber Pro Cycling ready to roll the dice in Utah

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The downside of a Continental team having a super successful season is what follows: Top riders move up the food chain, leaving the third-division squad to start over.

That's the position Silber Pro Cycling director Gord Fraser found himself in this year after his team's breakout season in 2016 was followed by the loss of Ben Perry to Cycling Academy, Matteo Dal-Cin to Rally Cycling and Alex Cataford to UnitedHealthcare.

Silber, now in the first year of a three-year deal with the title sponsor, has re-upped this year with a younger roster and is entering into its most important racing block of the season, with the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, Colorado Classic and Tour of Alberta coming up in quick succession.

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"The biggest challenge for us was just dealing with a few injuries we had this year, with Nicolas Masbourian with his concussion from Saguenay, and Danick Vandale with his tendonitis, it's left us pretty thin," Fraser told Cyclingnews after last week's Cascade Cycling Classic in Oregon. "We brought in Marc-Antoine Soucy from Qubebcor to kind of help us with bodies. He's a great addition. He's already fit in well at Cascade."

Fraser is hoping to start out this week's Tour of Utah in a similar fashion to last year, when Kris Dahl stormed to the sprint win in Cedar City. Monday's opening stage includes two climbs up and over Logan Canyon before a 60-kilometre mostly downhill run to the finish in downtown Logan.

"We are a younger team this year,” Fraser said. “The average age at Utah is 21, so it's going to be a learning experience for the guys. But I thought things went really well at Cascade, and I was happy with the way Nigel Ellsay was willing to roll the dice and risk a lot on both road stages, using breakaways to try and move up from his top-seven, top-eight position on GC.

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Adam Yates: 'I don't ride my bike to train, I like to race'

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"I don't ride my bike to train, I like to race," is how Adam Yates bluntly but clearly describes his feelings at why, after nearly two months away from competition, the Orica-Scott rider is so pleased to be getting back into the action again at the Tour de Pologne this week.

Yates already showed he is determined to hit the ground running on his mid-season return when he took ninth in the Basque Country's one-day Prueba Villafranca last Tuesday.

"I came pretty close," Yates told Cyclingnews during the Tour de Pologne, "I got within 10, maybe 20 metres of winning that one. I hadn't raced for a long time, and it's not a big race, but it was good to get out there, try some things, test the condition and be aggressive."

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Yates last stage race, though, was the Giro d'Italia, where he took ninth overall and second in the young rider's competition. That was being caught up in the same crash that did for Geraint Thomas and Mikel Landa's chances overall at the foot of the Blockhaus and losing well over four minutes half way through the Giro, through no fault of his own.

Asked if he was hungry to return to racing after two months away, Yates answered simply "I don't ride my bike to train, I like to race. I've come here now and I'll hopefully be aggressive in the mountains. Then it will be good to take that form to the Vuelta and do the same thing there."

It will be the first time that Adam Yates has done two Grand Tours in one year, and as he notes, with no points of comparison from previous years, he'll only really know how beneficial the build-up has been once he's there. "We'll see what we can do. I've been feeling good training, Poland's not a massive objective but I always want to get up there and get some confidence, before the next big objective, which is the Vuelta. Come here, try my best, test the condition."

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Modolo outpowers top favourites in Tour de Pologne downhill sprint

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After winning stage 2 of the Tour de Pologne, one of the odder moments of Sacha Modolo's press conference came when several Polish journalists asked to look at his Garmin to see what maximum speed the UAE Team Emirates rider had reached in his final sprint.

The reason? Katowice's unusual 900-metre downhill finishing straight is one of the fastest finales in the WorldTour. So whenever the Tour de Pologne concludes here with a bunch sprint – which is pretty much every year – the question of the winner's top velocity is always a popular one.

As the UAE Team Emirates press officer Andrea Agostini showed the crowd of journalists leaning in to look at the photos on his phone, Modolo had reached a top speed of 74.74 km/h. Curiously that was notably slower than Marcel Kittel's 78 km/h en route to victory in 2015 in Katowice, and a long way short of Jonas Van Genechten's unofficial record of 80.8 km/h in 2014, but Sunday's headwind probably had a lot to do with that.

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"I've never won a downhill finish before," said Modolo, now in his eighth year as a pro and with career sprint victories as far afield as Argentina and China as well as two in the 2015 Giro d'Italia. "It's certainly a very different kind of sprint to the ones I'm used to, I'm better off winning when there's a curve or a climb near the finish, not so much on descents where you need more pure power. I'm actually pretty surprised I won today." He also chose to use a 54 chainring, he said, "because a 55 or a 56 would have been too much on this."

"I did what you could call a 'classic' sprint," he said. "Roberto Ferrari left me exactly where I needed to be, but I find this is a complicated finish, I've done it three or four times and I've never really got it right before.

"I tend not to do well here, and yesterday [when he was 47th] my legs weren't feeling so great, I'd been away from racing for a month and a half and it didn't seem to work out. But today I felt a lot better right from the start, and this time, with a strong headwind, I waited for a long time before finally going for it, and I got it right."

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Bookwalter: 'Extra pressure' on BMC at Tour of Utah

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Brent Bookwalter says his preparation for the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah has not been as intense as it was before the Tour of California in May, but the BMC Racing leader who finished third in Utah in 2015 is quietly confident about his chances to pull off the overall win.

"I've had a pretty laid-back approach,” Bookwalter told Cyclingnews Saturday evening at the Tour of Utah team presentation. "I've been riding my mountain bike and I have some altitude time in me. I haven't had the same level of focus in my prep like I had in California, but knowing I have some good experience myself at this race and we have a really deep team, I feel good about it."

Bookwalter, 33, is in the midst of another consistent season with BMC. He finished second on the queen stage at the Tour of the Alps and was second in the Big Bear time trial in California on his way to fourth overall in the first-year WorldTour race.

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From there Bookwalter went to Critérium du Dauphiné in support of Richie Porte, and he raced most recently USA Cycling Pro Road Championships at the end of June, where he finished second to teammate Joey Rosskopf in the time trial.

"I feel good," Bookwalter said of coming off his extended break. "I'm healthy and I think freshened up a little bit since Nationals. I took a little off week and had the rare chance to go back to Asheville in the summer, which I haven't done for a long time. It was good."

Bookwalter's previous crack at the Tour of Utah came in 2015, when he finished on the final podium behind Joe Dombrowski (Cannondale-Drapac) and Michael Woods, who was riding for Optum at the time but has since signed with Cannondale. Without Cannondale and fellow US-based WorldTour team Trek-Segafredo on the start line in Logan on Monday, this could be Bookwalter's year to add a Utah win to his palmares.

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No further punishment for Moscon after Tour de Romandie racism

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UCI President Brian Cookson has confirmed that Sky's Gianni Moscon will not face any further punishment after using racially abusive language against Kevin Reza (FDJ) at the Tour de Romandie in April.

The case had been referred to the UCI’s disciplinary commission during the spring, and exactly 90 days after the incident took place Cookson confirmed that the governing body would take no action over the matter.

The incident took place during the Tour de Romandie and Team Sky confirmed on the morning of stage 4 that Moscon had racially abused Reza in the closing kilometres of the previous stage.

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Moscon was allowed to stay in the race with Team Sky unwilling to remove him. The rider apologized to Reza in person and once the Tour de Romandie concluded, Moscon was handed a six-week racing suspension from Team Sky and a written warning, and was sent on a 'diversity awareness course'.

Since the Tour de Romandie, Cyclingnews has contacted the UCI several times and was told that the governing body was still investigating the case. At a press event based around Cookson's bid to retain his UCI presidency, the former head of British Cycling confirmed that the governing body would not add to Moscon’s punishment.

"That was referred to the disciplinary commission and they have made a judgement and have agreed in effect that Moscon's suspension should run concurrently with the one that was already in place. They've made that decision and it's one that I've had to accept," Cookson said.

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Niewiadoma to join Canyon SRAM in 2018

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Katarzyna Niewiadoma has signed with Canyon SRAM for the 2018 season, the team announced Sunday.

"I have been always looking at Canyon SRAM Racing with huge respect! To have the opportunity to be part of their team for 2018 is pretty thrilling," Niewiadoma said via a team release. "I believe that Canyon SRAM is always well organised, with high quality equipment and supportive partners. I know that everybody takes a lot of effort to achieve the best possible so I am confident that I will be motivated to make 2018 as successful as possible. My goal for 2018 is the same as today: I dream of riding my bike with a rainbow jersey."

The 22-year-old from Poland, currently racing for WM3 Cycling after entering the pro ranks with Rabo-Liv, is in the midst of an impressive season. A versatile rider who can climb and time trial while also packing a fast finish, she claimed the overall victory – as well as a stage – at the Ovo Energy Women's Tour following a spring campaign that saw her deliver four podium finishes in WorldTour one-days.

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Niewiadoma is currently the third-ranked rider on the Women's WorldTour.

"I am very pleased that Kasia puts trust and faith into our setup to help further grow her career," said team manager Ronny Lauke via the release. "I am extremely excited to start working with Kasia in the future. She is a proven climber and I believe her personality will be very welcome to the team, always smiling, positive-minded and a bike racer by heart."

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53-year-old amateur rider caught using hidden motor at Italian race

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A 53-year-old Italian amateur cyclist was caught using a hidden motor at an event in Bedizzole, near Brescia on Saturday. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the motor was detected after the organiser used a thermal camera during the event to scan suspicious bikes.

The race was organised under the auspices of the Centro Sportivo Italiano, an amateur sports body affiliated to the Italian Olympic Committee. Emiliano Scalfi, the vice-president of the CSI in the province of Brescia, intimated that the body had acted on a tip-off and decided to deploy a heat gun.

"We had some precise information and we proceeded accordingly," Scalfi told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "When we looked, we saw that in the seat tube of one rider it looked as though there was a fire."

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The rider in question placed third in the race, and after the event, he was asked to bring his bike – an Argon 18, according to La Gazzetta – to the commissaires for further inspection.

"We invited the rider to go with two commissaires to an authorised centre to check the bike, but at that point, he admitted his guilt," Scalfi said. "Inside the bike, he had a motor."

The incident is the second confirmed instance of mechanical doping – or technological fraud, as the UCI rulebook calls it – in a race after Femke Van Den Driessche was discovered to have had a bike containing a motor at the 2016 Cyclo-cross World Championships. Van Den Driessche was later banned for six years and fined 20,000 Swiss Francs by the UCI.

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Froome going to Vuelta a Espana 'with a sense of mission'

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Chris Froome (Sky) has said that he will go to next month's Vuelta a Espana with 'a sense of mission' as he bids to become only the third rider to win the Vuelta and Tour de France in the same season.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Froome revisited his most trying day on the 2017 Tour de France, blamed his travails during stage 12 to Peyragudes on failing to eat sufficiently in the days beforehand. The Briton also confirmed that Mikel Nieve will leave Sky for Orica-Scott in 2018.

Froome temporarily conceded the maillot jaune when he lost 22 seconds on the final kick to the line at Peyragudes, a setback all the more surprising because of the way Team Sky had so dominated the stage to that point.

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Speaking to French newspaper Liberation in the final days of the Tour, Froome's directeur sportif Nicolas Portal revealed that Sky had deliberately slackened the pace a notch in the finale in a bid to mask the jour sans. For his part, Froome tried to convince his rivals that he was preparing an attack of his own.

"I tried to make it look like I was OK when in fact the truth is that I was really terrible on the last kilometres of the Peyresourde. If you look at the footage you will see I was out of the saddle quite a bit. I was looking into the faces of each of my rivals, trying to read them. They were thinking, 'Chris is trying to read me because he wants to attack, he's ready to go,'" Froome told the Sunday Times.

"By the time we get to the last kilometre of the Peyresourde I pulled off Mikel Landa's wheel, went to the side, looked back, giving the impression that I had lots of energy. If anyone had attacked I wouldn't have tried to go after them, just gone into time trial mode to get to the finish as efficiently as possible."

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Van Avermaet content to add to WorldTour lead at Clasica San Sebastian

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Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) has declared himself pleased with his 8th place finish at the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday, a result that sees him retain his lead atop the WorldTour standings.

Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky) won the race in a five-up sprint ahead of Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) and Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), while Van Avermaet came home 38 seconds down in a chasing group.

"The top 10 was an objective and I achieved it," Van Avermaet said afterwards, according to RTBF. "6th place would have been possible, but Alberto Bettiol slipped away from our group in the final kilometres, and then I made an error in the final sprint. But I'm happy with 8th place. The sensations and the legs were good. I was on a good day."

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Winner of Paris-Roubaix, Gent-Wevelgem and E3 Harelbeke in the spring, Van Avermaet rode a low-key Tour de France, though he placed second to Michael Matthews in the uphill sprint finish in Rodez.

A year ago, Van Avermaet emerged from the Tour with the form that carried him to the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics road race. The Belgian will aim to be to the fore in the weeks to come at the BinckBank Tour, the WorldTour races in Montreal and Quebec and the World Championships in Bergen.

"Normally, I always come out of the Tour de France very well, but I was a bit sick during the last week this year and I came here with a few question marks," Van Avermaet said. "The last climb in the finale was a bit hard for me, but I knew that beforehand from having ridden here other years. But it all depends on the race situation and the number of riders who attack on the climb.

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RideLondon-Surrey Classic: Alexander Kristoff wins sprint to take title

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Katusha sprinter Alexander Kristoff takes the RideLondon-Surrey Classic title after winning the sprint finish down the Mall.

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RideLondon-Surrey Classic: Alexander Kristoff wins in sprint finish

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Alexander Kristoff surges clear of his rivals to win the RideLondon-Surrey Classic in a bunch sprint finish.

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Rivera sprints to RideLondon Classique victory

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Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) picked up her fourth WorldTour win of the 2017 season Saturday at the RideLondon Classique, sprinting to a narrow victory in the British capital.

The peloton pushed through driving rain on the urban circuit to set up a bunch kick on the Mall. Canyon-SRAM's Lisa Brennauer and Cervelo-Bigla's Lotta Lepistö battled at the head of the sprint to lead into the final hundred metres, but Rivera surged past on their right and pipped Lepistö for the win. Brennauer settled for third.

"I'm absolutely elated," said Rivera in a post-race interview on BBC Sports. "It's crazy. It's raining. It's not the best conditions, but when there's a goal in front of you, you've got to commit to get after it. It was a crazy, chaotic finish with a lot of elbows and everything."

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The peloton largely stayed together throughout the 66-kilometre race in the British capital. Claudia Koster (VeloConcept) launched the first attack in lap two of the 12-lap race, but the attempt was neutralised quickly. A handful of escape attempts followed but none had staying power, and the race proved more fast and strung out than attacking and animated.

"[In the rain], I think everyone rides a bit different, a bit faster average speed and a bit more careful through the corners," said Rivera. "Everyone is a little more cautious. It makes a greater margin for error, but you have to deal with it and everybody has to deal with it. It's a challenge for everyone.

"There were a lot sprinters here," said world champion Amalie Dideriksen, who sprinted in for seventh place. "Nearly every team came with a sprint, and when it's a criterium the speed is really high because everyone wants to ride the front to save energy in the corners. It gets really hard to get away and even harder to stay away. No one team had to take control because the nature of the race controlled it automatically."

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Tour de Pologne: Sagan sprints to stage 1 victory

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Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) took a powerful win in a fast and furious opening stage of the Tour of Pologne, on his first competitive outing since his exclusion from the 2017 Tour de France.

Sagan’s bunch sprint victory, his eight win of the season, came at the end of a short opening stage, starting off a lumpy initial 100 kilometres but then clearly coming down to a four—kilometre city centre circuit in Krakow that favoured the fastmen.

Second across the line was Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott), also making his return to WorldTour racing following his stage win in the Giro d’Italia, while Danny van Poppel (Team Sky) came home in third.

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Sagan has said repeatedly during the build-up to the Tour de Pologne that the events of the Tour de France are forgotten and he is now moving forward. But for those out there with a lingering feeling that the Slovak had a point to prove following his disqualification, the world champion demonstrated that he knows how to bounce back in style.

Sagan seemed more than happy with his win, too, which was greeted with massive cheers and chants of his name from the sizeable Saturday afternoon crowd in Krakow. His wife, Katerina, was present at the line to congratulate him.

“It’s very nice to be here, and get a lot of support and energy from the people here. Slovakia is close by. The Slovakian and Polish fans have been amazing,” Sagan said afterwards. “I felt a lot of positive energy in the race.”

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Kwiatkowski wins Clasica San Sebastian

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Sky's Michal Kwiatkowski sprinted to victory in Saturday's Clasica San Sebastian, proving quickest to the line out of a select group of late escapees in the hilly one-day race. Lotto Soudal's Tony Gallopin was second across the line for runner-up honours, with last year's winner Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) rounding out the podium in third.

Kwiatkowski's teammate Mikel Landa forced a crucial selection going over the short but steep final climb, attacking and pulling Gallopin and Mollema with him to form a select trio in the closing kilometres. Kwiatkowski joined up with Sunweb's Tom Dumoulin to bridge across to the group, setting up a five-rider battle in San Sebastian.

A late surge by Landa allowed Kwiatkowski to follow the wheels of his rivals into the final kilometre, paving the way for a sprint as the quintet regrouped. Kwiatkowski won convincingly, taking his third WorldTour one-day race victory of the season after winning Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo in the spring.

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"Such amazing Basque Spanish guys in the team today," Kwiatkowski said after the finish, acknowledging not only Landa, but also Mikel Nieve, who fired off an attack with around nine kilometres to go just after a solo move by teammate Gianni Moscon was reeled in.

"They were supporting me so well and I'm very thankful to the team. You could see Mikel Landa playing his crucial role in the end, and I could go for the sprint easily. I'm very thankful to Mikel that he waited in the group in the front. Today was just amazing, the team spirit, we believed that we could win the race."

How it unfolded

The lumpy 231km race kicked off under clear conditions in San Sebastian, with a seven-rider escape going clear early. Loïc Chetout and Matthias Le Turnier (Cofidis), Sven Erik Bystrom (Katusha-Alpecin), Jon Insausti (Bahran-Merida), Mickaël Delage (FDJ), Imanol Erviti (Movistar) and Christophe Pfingsten (Bora-Hansgrohe) formed the main break of the day.

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Bethany Shriever wins junior BMX World Championships title

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Watch 18-year-old Bethany Shriever produce a stunning finish to win the junior women's title at the BMX World Championships.

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Dennis weighs up autumn options while easing back into racing at Tour de Pologne

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Less than a week has gone past since the Tour de France finished but for many star riders who spent July away from racing, including Australia's Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team), the Tour de Pologne has already raised the curtain on what looks set to be an intriguing second half of the season.

The 27-year-old had a first half of 2017 with very mixed fortunes. A crash out of the Giro d'Italia in the first week was one major setback, but two wins in the Tour de Suisse, bookending the race in its two time trials, were the latest triumphs in a series of victories stretching back as far as the Australian Time Trial Nationals in January.

There are no time trials – Dennis' strongest suit, but far from his only one – in the Tour de Pologne, where he's currently taking part. But as Dennis told Cyclingnews at the start of the opening stage in Krakow's main square, his remaining top 2017 objectives are likely a little further down the line than in Eastern Europe's premier stage race.

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"I'm not too worried about what goes on here," Dennis says. "I've been out of racing for just over a month, having not raced since Suisse. I'm looking to do well in the Vuelta a España and hopefully have a place for the World's, and that way I can come away a good result at the end of the year. Here it's more to get the legs moving, and if something happens, it happens."

As he eyes doing two Grand Tours in the same season for the first time in his career Dennis is moving into uncharted waters in other ways. He has never raced in Poland before on the road, for thing although he says he has very good memories of his previous visit to the country, when he took part the 2009 Track World Championships just outside Warsaw. The Vuelta a España is more familiar territory, given he finished the race back in 2014, taking 84th and a third place in the last, short, time trial in Santiago de Compostela.

"I'll just be doing here and then go on to the Vuelta," Dennis says. "I've done a lot of racing before and if I try to do any more, there's only two weeks between here and the Vuelta's opening team time trial in Nimes. I'll be going for a stage or two there in the Vuelta, and if I can do well in them, that should transfer across to the GC."

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Ewan showing solid form in Tour de Pologne after long spell away

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Caleb Ewan’s defeat to Peter Sagan on stage 1 of the Tour de Pologne could not stop the Orica-Scott fast man from taking more than a few plus points away from his first WorldTour sprint since in May.

Ewan raced the Hammer Series in early June, where his squad finished third overall, but the Tour de Pologne is his first competitive traditional road event since the Giro d’Italia, where he won a stage on a technical, twisting finish into the southern town of Alberobello.

Ewan already had four top five places to his name in the Tour de Pologne from his previous participations in 2015 and 2016. His best result was a second place to Marcel Kittel in Warsaw two years ago, and he had to settle for another runner-up spot in Krakow on Saturday.

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“I was left pretty early with just Luka [Mezgec] left and down the back straight of the course in the last lap, a few strong attacks went,” Ewan told Cyclingnews after the finish.

“He had to pretty much shut both of them down so he did a massive turn, and obviously towards the end, he couldn’t do a lead-out because he’d done so much work before. But he still did a brilliant job to drop me off right near the front.”

Mezgec also kept Ewan out of trouble and close to the front when arguably it mattered most, at the point when a crash blighted several of the sprinters’ chances of taking on Sagan. “I didn’t see the crash, I was in a good position, and I didn’t get caught behind,” Ewan said.

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Quick-Step Floors unveil RideLondon roster

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Quick-Step Floors announced their roster for the RideLondon Classic on Saturday, unveiling a seven-man selection of both speedsters and potential opportunitist for the urban one-day race.

Quick-Step won the race in 2016 with Tom Boonen, but it will be up to other riders this Sunday to defend the title earned by the now-retired Belgian.

"We know it's going to be difficult to control, we have seen this every year, and that's why it is important to stay in the front and race it from there. We come with a strong team, each rider being capable of making the difference, and we also have a good chance with some fast guys if it ends up in a bunch sprint, so we are looking with confidence to Sunday."

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With neither Marcel Kittel nor Fernando Gaviria lining up for the event, fast-finishing Maximiliano Richeze and Matteo Trentin may have a chance to feature in the event of a bunch kick in the British capital. Yves Lampaert and Jack Bauer, meanwhile, stands out as a potential attackers should the race break apart before the finale.

Quick-Step Floors for the RideLondon Classic: Jack Bauer, Tim Declercq, Iljo Keisse, Yves Lampaert, Maximiliano Richeze, Matteo Trentin, Julien Vermote

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Sagan makes winning return at Tour de Pologne

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After an enforced spell away from racing, the shortness of the opening stage of the Tour de Pologne might just have been what Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) needed.

With his Tour de France disqualification seemingly forgotten, as he insisted repeatedly before the Tour de Pologne started, Sagan streaked across the finishing line in Krakow comfortably ahead of Caleb Ewan to win the opening stage and claim the leader’s jersey. Speed, teamwork and fine placing all helped ensure the world champion was ahead of the field when it mattered, but Sagan also said that luck might have played a part too.

“In the end I was maybe lucky. After three weeks I’ve come back here in the Tour of Pologne and I’ve won the first stage,” Sagan said. “Maybe I was lucky because it was just 130 kilometres and it was maybe good, I’m very happy.”

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Sagan is also, as he pointed out, ably backed by a strong Bora-Hansgrohe lineup, who worked hard throughout the stage to ensure that a four-man break never gained more than three and a half minutes, with the last survivor, Maciej Paterski (CCC-Sprandi) reeled in just as the peloton hit the finishing circuit.

“It was perfect, we did our best. I have to thank all my teammates, they did an amazing job and pulled all day in the front, with also Orica-Scott,” Sagan pointed out.

The huge numbers of fans chanting his name around much of the final four-kilometre circuit could hardly have gone unnoticed, and Sagan said that the local support was a real morale boost for him.

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Pinot back in action at Clasica San Sebastian

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Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) returns to action at the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday after abandoning the Tour de France on the Col de la Croix de Fer on stage 17. The Frenchman will also line out at next month’s Tour de l’Ain but has yet to piece together his race programme for the remainder of the season.

Pinot rode the Tour without general classification ambitions, citing the residual fatigue of his fine display at May’s Giro d’Italia, where he placed 4th overall and won the penultimate stage into Asiago. He fell ill in the second half of the Tour, however, and was forced out in the third week with bronchitis.

“I was four days off the bike, on the couch, cooked,” Pinot told L’Équipe. “I started training at the start of the week and I’ve felt a bit better for the past three or four days.”

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Pinot will ride the Tour de l’Ain from August 9-12, a race in which he won stages in 2011 and 2012, though on this occasion, he said that the emphasis, after a heavy race schedule to date, would be on “enjoyment.” Pinot is scheduled to take a ten-day break after the Tour de l’Ain before deciding on how to proceed.

“For me, it’s the most beautiful race, or in any case, the nicest, in France,” Pinot said. “I’m coming back to racing at the Clasica so that I’ll be able to race at the Tour de l’Ain. I haven’t spoken about the end of the season with the team yet. We’ll see how I am at the beginning of September, when I’ve had a break after the Tour de d’Ain. There’s no point in going to races if you’re just going to be very average there.”

Pinot has often listed the Tour of Lombardy among his favourite races, and he placed third in the season-ending Classic in 2015, but he was reluctant to commit at this juncture to targeting a race that is still more than two months away on October 7.

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Double Rainbow Jerseys: Post, Sharrah strike gold at BMX Worlds

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Alise Post and Corben Sharrah closed out BMX Worlds for Team USA with dominant gold medal performances in the elite menand#39;s and womenand#39;s competitions in Rock Hill.

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RideLondon Classique: Coryn Rivera wins sprint finish to take title

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Team Sunweb's Coryn Rivera wins a sprint finish down the Mall to take the RideLondon Classique title.

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Ride London 2017: Coryn Rivera sprints to RideLondon Classique win

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American Coryn Rivera produces a superb late surge to win the 2017 RideLondon Classique in a sprint finish.

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Top 5 Tour de France pro gear cover-ups - video

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This article originally appeared on BikeRadar.

While most riders were sponsor correct at the Tour de France — dutifully racing what their team is paid to use — some went off script with their own solutions.

Here are our top five types of poorly covered up gear at the Tour de France — including one set-up that is what it purports to be, but wasn't used the way the company designed it to be.

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1. Saddles

As much as the internet loves a good conspiracy theory, often riders use non-sponsor-correct gear just for reasons of personal fit.

Is Taylor Phinney on a Specialized S-Works Romin because it is secretly the best saddle in the world? Um, no. He just found something that really works for him, so he uses it, and masks the logos out of respect for Cannondale’s current saddle sponsor.

2. Shoes

3. Wheels

4. Cockpits

5. Cranks /powermeters

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Majka revs the motors for Vuelta a Espana in the Tour de Pologne

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From eighth to 137th to DNS: Rafal Majka's results over three days in the Tour de France speak – grimly – for themselves. A top result in the Station des Rousses stage in the Jura was followed by a series of major crashes that left him injured and all but out for the count, nearly 40 minutes down, on the road to Chambery, and then, definitively, out of the race.

However, three weeks further on, the Bora-Hansgrohe rider is back in action, this time on home soil in the Tour de Pologne. Majka won here in 2014, clinching a stage victory on an incursion to Slovakia in a small group sprint, and then alone in Bukowina Tartranska, 10 seconds clear of former Movistar duo Beñat Intxausti and Ion Izagirre, to oust Petr Vakoc (Quick Step Floors) from the lead.

In 2014, Pologne proved to be a fine epilogue for Majka in what was his best ever Tour to date, with two stage wins and the overall in the King of the Mountains. This time around, he is aiming for it to kick-start his second half of the season, with the Vuelta a España - in which he took third in 2015 - his most likely target for the remainder of the year.

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"For sure the Tour of Pologne is a good course for me, it goes close to my home and it's a really tough one this year," Majka said on Friday. "But there's a lot of big-name riders here, it's a very good lineup, and I'll need to see how I feel.

"We have two other riders here, Patrick Konrad [seventh in Pais Vasco this year] and [Austrian RR champion] Gregor Muhlberger and for sure they will be going for GC and I need to see how I feel, otherwise I will help these guys.

"For sure Peter [Sagan] will try also because Peter ... well," he said with a grin. "We know what Peter is like, and we know how fast he is in the short uphill finishes. I'm not in such bad shape and I need to try to fight in the Tour de Pologne. We've got a lot of cards to play."

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Tour de Pologne: Seven-man teams presented in Krakow - Gallery

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The teams of the 2017 Tour de Pologne were presented in Krakow's Rynek Glowny Market Square on Friday, the next stop of the UCI's WorldTour after the Tour de France.

The race has opted to be part of an experiment to use smaller teams - there are only seven riders per team - and many stages have been shortened, with the average distance at 160km per day. There is one long stage, the 238km fourth stage to Zabrze, but several shorter, punchy courses and a new uphill finish.

"We’ve designed the race to be as spectacular as ever; the stages aren’t too long and there is also the new project of 7 riders per team," race director Czeslaw Lang said. "There won’t be the final time trial, but instead the last leg will be entirely in the mountains, with the two hardest stages in Zakopane and Bukowina Tatrzanska.

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"In the first part there will also be space for the sprinters, but in the third stage there is already a never-before-seen arrival, on a stretch featuring gradients up to 20%, which could turn out to be a launching pad for anyone who wants to try and fire up the race."

Defending champion Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) has opted for the Clasica San Sebastian this year, but there is still a strong field. Among the contenders is Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), who has only raced once since finishing third in the Giro d'Italia, but has been doing some intensive mountain training camps in preparation for the Vuelta a España.

"We’ve been training really well. We’ll have to see how my leg responds after the last intense workouts we did," Nibali said. "The route is interesting; there will definitely be some surprises, which perhaps I can’t foresee, but we’ll have to show up ready to take on whatever comes our way."

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Bora-Hansgrohe manager backs call for sprint video referee after Sagan's Tour de France DQ

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Ralph Denk, the manager of the Bora-Hansgrohe team, has backed calls for some kind of video referee to rule on dangerous riding in sprints after Peter Sagan was disqualified from this year's Tour de France.

On Thursday Philippe Mariën, the chief UCI commissaire at the Tour de France, told Het Nieuwsblad that he was in favour of adding a video referee who could watch the sprint on television and make quick, well-informed decisions.

"I'm surprised to read that Philippe Mariën has asked for the introduction of a video judge for the sprints because when we tried to show the UCI commissaires high-definition video evidence during the Tour de France that Peter Sagan did nothing wrong they weren't interested in seeing it," Denk told Cyclingnews in reaction to Mariën's comments.

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Sagan was disqualified after stage 4 of this year's Tour de France in Vittel. During the sprint, Mark Cavendish attempted to come through on Sagan's right, close to the barriers, and Sagan appeared to move across and stick his right elbow out. Cavendish crashed into the barriers, fracturing his right scapula, and caused a chain reaction that brought down several other riders.

The UCI race commissaires punished Sagan for irregular riding on the stage, which was won by Arnaud Démare.

However, the team insist that the UCI jury refused to hear from Sagan or view high-definition video evidence produced by the Bora-Hansgrohe team.

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Tosatto signs on as Team Sky directeur sportif - News shorts

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Tosatto joins Team Sky as DS

Italian Matteo Tosatto has been hired by Team Sky as a directeur sportif, and will be quickly put to work at the Tour de Pologne, which starts tomorrow.

Tosatto began his career with the Ballan squad in 1998, and spent six seasons with Fassa Bortolo, five with Quick-Step and six seasons with Saxo Bank/Tinkoff. His major victories include one stage win each in the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France (2001, 2006, respectively) and a stage of Paris-Nice. Over his career he competed in 34 Grand Tours and 53 Monuments. The 43-year-old ended his racing career after the Tinkoff team disbanded, having been unable to find another contract.

"Originally I had hoped to continue riding for one more year, but in the end it became clear that this was the time to stop and try something new," Tosatto said to TeamSky.com. "I was working at the Giro d'Italia for Pinarello and it was there that I was able to speak to Dave Brailsford a few times, and we had some conversations about working together.

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"My first experience with the team was at the Route du Sud in June where I was able to spend some time in the car to see how the team operates. Then after that I spent two weeks at the team's training camp in Livigno with 14 riders. That was fantastic and I really look forward to working with young riders and helping them to develop. I hope with my experience I can help them to reach their objectives."

Tosatto will start at Tour de Pologne as second directeur sportif to Gabriel Rasch to gain experience.

"My first impressions of the team are that it's a really incredible group and the detail and organisation is very impressive. To be able to work for the best team in the world is a great feeling. Naturally I'm very excited to go to my first race as a Sport Director and this is the best opportunity for me after my career as a pro cyclist."

RCS Sport announce teams for Il Lombardia and Milano-Torino

Movistar renews with Oliveira, Arcas, Pedrero

Geoffrey Soupe extends with Cofidis

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Sagan: I've already forgotten about the Tour de France

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A shaven-headed Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) used a pre-race press conference at the Tour de Pologne on Friday to underline that his Tour de France disqualification is now behind him, to confirm he is chasing stage victories rather than overall success, and to hark back to 2011, when, as a young rider, the Polish race was his first ever WorldTour stage race victory.

The world champion was speaking at a press conference in the Tour de Pologne race headquarters, in a hotel on the outskirts of Krakow, the southerly city that is Poland’s former capital and where the first stage starts on Saturday. He followed that up with a series of media chats in an outdoor mobile stand containing his new range of limited edition 'Peter Sagan' products, mainly clothing - a project with its roots in January, he explained, but which has been launched to coincide the start of the Tour de Pologne.

Aside from the Sagan t-shirts, what caught much of the media’s attention was the Bora-Hansgrohe leader’s newly shaved head look. However, the Slovak brushed aside suggestions this new appearance was a way of putting some psychological distance between himself and the events of July.

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"It was time for a change," Sagan said. "I have already forgotten about the Tour de France."

Sagan was clearly in a good mood overall, exchanging jokes with Rafal Majka, the only other rider present and switching between Polish and Slovak for a chunk of the press conference.

His point of view on the Tour de France was simple.

Looking back to 2011

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Changes made to key Vuelta a Espana stages

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Less than a month before the start of the 2017 Vuelta a Espana begins, race organisers have made alterations to several stages of this year's race. In preparation for the final Grand Tour of the season, which begins on August 19 in Nimes, France, each of the stage profiles and maps have been posted on the race’s official website, and Spanish publication AS has noted changes to four - many quite key - stages.

Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Team Sky) has confirmed he will attempt a difficult Tour-Vuelta double, with Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), and Fabio Aru (Astana) all due to challenge him.

Among the stages changed are the lengthy individual time trial and the double header of mountain finishes to Sierra de La Pandera and Alto Hoya de la Mora. No reason has been given for the alterations to the route. 

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Stage 10 from Caravaca Jubilar to El Pozo Alimentación is the first of the changes. Under the original plan, the stage was 171 kilometres long with just one classified ascent up the Collado Bermejo. The stage will follow much the same route, with the riders set to complete a short loop after passing the finish line for the first time. Organisers have, however, now classified the short rise of the Alto de Morron ahead of the Collado Bermejo, nominating it a third category ascent. In addition, just over six kilometres have been lopped off the route, making it a 164.8km stage.

Stage 14 has undergone one of the bigger make-overs of them all. It has been shortened by 10 kilometres, from 185 to 175 kilometres, with some major reworking of the early part of the route. Beginning in Ecija, it was originally planned to pass through Aguilar de la Frontera and down through Monturque. Instead, the race will now head directly south towards Herrera and then onto Lucena before linking back up to the original route.

The first climb of the day, the third category Puerto el Mojon, now comes almost 20 kilometres later than originally planned – at the 76km mark. The stage will head through the Sierras Subbesticas natural park and take the A-339 over to the intermediate sprint at Alcala la Real. The original plan to head north towards Los Villares has been scrapped, meaning that the climbs of the Puerto de Locubin and the first category Alto de los Villares de Jaén are gone. Instead, the race will take a more direct route to the finish with the second category Alto Valdepeñas de Jaen setting up the final tilt on the Especial category Sierra de la Pandera.

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Uran in talks with Cannondale, Astana, UAE and Trek for 2018

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Rigoberto Uran is set to decide his future within the next week as a number of teams look to sign the Tour de France runner-up for 2018. The Colombian is out of contract at the end of the year, although his current team – Cannondale-Drapac – is the favourite to re-sign him.

According to Italian website Tuttobiciweb, Uran is likely to stay at Cannondale-Drapac and sign a new three-year contract that cements his role as team leader for the Tour de France. Uran impressed at this year’s Tour de France, winning stage 9 to Chambery and finishing second overall, just 54 seconds behind Chris Froome (Team Sky) after a consistent race. The 30-year-old Colombian has the climbing ability and time trial skills to challenge for overall victory.

Cyclingnews understands that the Trek-Segafredo, UAE Team Emirates and Astana are also interested in Uran as the leading teams try to sign Tour de France contenders for 2018 and 2019.

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Several team leaders are set to change teams for 2018, sparking a game of musical chairs. Fabio Aru is expected to leave Astana and move to UAE Team Emirates, while Trek-Segafredo are in search of a leader for the Tour de France after Alberto Contador hinted that he will target the Giro d’Italia in 2018, if he decides to race one final season. Trek-Segafredo team manager Luca Guercilena is due to have further talks with the Spaniard this weekend. Mikel Landa is expected to leave Team Sky for Movistar after becoming frustrated at working for Froome.

The arrival of two new sponsors has helped Jonathan Vaughters strengthen Cannondale and the American is keen to continue working with Uran. Oath has already been confirmed as new sponsor and appeared on the rear of the team’s shorts on the final stage of the Tour de France. Cannondale is expected to remain as bike sponsor, but not as a title sponsor.

Vaughters preferred not comment on the reports regarding the future of his riders but is busy building his roster after the arrival of new sponsorships and success at the Tour de France.

Riders already under contract for 2018 include Taylor Phinney, Andrew Talansky, Hugh Carthy, Joe Dombrowski and Pierre Rolland.

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Mark Cavendish: Geraint Thomas and I would make a wicked Madison team

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Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) has told Cyclingnews that his preferred partner for the Madison at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games would be Geraint Thomas.

Cavendish, who is a three-time Madison world champion, is currently recovering from a shoulder injury after crashing out of the Tour de France earlier this month. He is expected to be back on the road and training in the coming weeks, with the Tour of Britain and the UCI Road World Championships in Norway on his agenda.

With the Madison back in the Olympic programme after its omission from London and Rio, Cavendish has been provided with a huge incentive to prolong his racing career. In an exclusive interview with Cyclingnews – due to be released as a podcast on Monday – Cavendish admitted that he briefly considered hanging up his wheels upon completing his current contract at Dimension Data – which expires at the end of 2018 – until deciding to aim for the Madison in Tokyo.

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“Before the announcement of the Madison in Tokyo I didn’t think that I’d be doing more than two or three more years,” he told Cyclingnews.

“I even thought about maybe stopping at the end of this contract, maybe. When the Madison was announced in Tokyo… I’m three times World Champion. I have to go. I’d be stupid not to. That’s in 2020. Then when I look at where I was at the Tour de France with just six weeks training, I realised that I’ve still got an ability. I don’t think that I’m slowing down anytime soon.”

Cavendish, who won a silver medal in the Omnium at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, has already been contacted by riders wishing to ride the Madison with him in 2020. However, when asked by Cyclingnews who his preferred partner would be, the former road world champion paused before naming Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas. The pair came through the ranks at the same time and rode their first Tour de France together in 2007 – albeit on different teams. Although their careers have gone in different paths – Cavendish has become the sprinter of his generation and Thomas has been succesful on the track and in stage races – the Dimension Data rider believes that they would make the ideal team.

Regaining full fitness

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52 medals for USA at BMX Worlds so far; Elite races take over on Saturday

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The amateur portion of the 2017 UCI BMX World Championships concluded on Friday in Rock Hill, SC with American riders earning 52 medals so far. In addition to the nineteen earned in the cruiser class competitions on Tuesday, Americans collected another 33 medals in the 20andrdquo; challenge categories on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

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'I don't want their support' - Cookson on McQuaid and Armstrong

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Brian Cookson says he does not want support from Pat McQuaid or Lance Armstrong as he tries to be re-elected UCI president.

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Tour of Qinghai Lake: Nicolas Marini wins stage 12

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Tour of Qinghai Lake: Stage 11 cancelled

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Meintjes and the One Thing that Eluded Him

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Despite his top 10 finish at Le Tour, there is still one thing Louis Meintjes wishes he had done… – By André Valentine

Photograph By Lorenzo Verdinelli

Speaking to Louis Meintjes before the 2017 Tour de France, you could sense that he was upbeat, if a little anxious. He talked about loving the steep climbs and relishing the chance to eat as much as he could while sampling the local cuisine. He also talked about a race that didn’t leave any room for error and how he’d have to carefully access each of the 21 stages.

Two months later, and after the 21 grueling Le Tour stages, Meintjes says he is happy… for various reasons. “I’m happy that it’s finished, and happy that it didn’t go too badly,” he told Bicycling. It didn’t go too badly indeed – Meintjes mirrored his 2016 Tour achievement of 8^th in the GC and 2^nd in the white jersey competition. Top 10 is good business at any Grand Tour but Meintjes also outdid some pre-race favourites, namely Nairo Quintana and former winner Alberto Contador, while aligning himself with a new generation of racers set to compete for yellow jerseys in Tours to come.

RELATED: How Saffers Dominated The Tour

It was still the Tour de France though, so it didn’t go without challenges and disappointments. “Stage nine was tough,” says the former MTN Qhubeka rider. “I just didn’t have my best day and it was one of the hardest stages I have done.”

He also missed out on one of his pre-tour ambitions: winning the white jersey. He admits that this is something he wishes he had done: “I would have really liked to wear the white jersey, even if it was just for one day.”

RELATED: TdF Jerseys We’d Like to See (Because Yellow, Green, and Polka Dots Already Aren’t Enough)

He says that the 2016 route suited him better, while the 2017 route was more about not making mistakes or having a bad day but he remains defiantly positive about his performance. “Sure I didn’t do everything perfect, but I am not looking back at this year’s Tour with any regrets. I gave it 100%”

For now the most important thing to Meintjes is that he is happy with his Tour performance. Happy he had no mechanicals or crashes. Happy he finished in the top 10. And especially happy that he received such strong support, both from home and in France. “Just the support from everyone was the biggest highlight for me. Also riding in the crowds up (Col du) Galibier and (Col d’) Izoard… that was something special.”

The post Meintjes and the One Thing that Eluded Him appeared first on Bicycling.

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Paddy Bevin's debut Tour de France one of highs and lows

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Paddy Bevin's debut Tour de France started with a spectacular and almost race ending crash in the Dusseldorf rain, and ended with Cannondale-Drapac teammate Rigoberto Uran standing on the podium as the runner-up to Chris Froome.

"There is no arguing that is not how you want to start any race, never mind the Tour de France," Bevin told Cyclingnews.

Initially, it appeared Bevin's Tour would be in doubt due to concussion after the heavy crash into the race barricades. However, he passed all relevant tests with further investigation revealing it was his ankle and foot that took the brunt of the force.

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An ultrasound mid-way through the race revealed a break in the foot, confirmed by an x-ray in Marseille on the penultimate stage. Despite riding his first full Grand Tour on one foot, so to speak, Bevin explained the issue was localised to his ankle and foot.

"The problem was that I'd done a couple of injuries to the ankle. I sprained the ankle and broke the bone in the foot and to start with the big issue was the ankle. It swelled and bruised and all that. It was more painful but after a few days as the ankle came down the foot wasn't healing," Bevin explained to Cyclingnews. "By the time you have ridden a few days on it, what is the difference between a few days and finishing the Tour? The scan at the end was just diagnostic to find out how bad it actually was."

While some riders may find their position on the bike compromised by such an injury and their body naturally adjusting to the break, Bevin added that there was "no muscle strains elsewhere, no saddle sores or that kind of thing. In hindsight, it's pretty amazing really to ride three and half thousand kilometres with that injury and not really have anything else."

Riding for Rigo

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Van Avermaet chasing success at Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian

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Olympic champion Greg van Avermaet is aiming to extend his lead atop the WorldTour standings with a top result at the one-day Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian with his BMC Racing squad.

Van Avermaet was in a race winning position when he was involved in an accident with a race moto in 2015. He returned last year to finish fifth, and despite falling ill at the Tour de France, the Belgian is aiming high in the Basque Country.

"I was a little sick in the last few days of the Tour de France so I'm hoping I'll be feeling good at the Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian," Van Avermaet explained. "I'm motivated to do a good race and a top ten finish would be great, especially considering there are UCI WorldTour points on offer. I like the course and it's challenging which suits me."

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Sports director Yvon Ledanois added that with majority of the squad
coming off the Tour de France, he expects a strong and unified showing to deliver Van Avermaet to the podium.

"Six of our eight riders are coming to Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian from the Tour de France so we know their form is good and after missing out on a stage win there, they will be very motivated to go for the win in San Sebastian," Ledanois said.

"We have one strong leader in Greg Van Avermaet who, as we know, was primed to win the race in 2015. I expect everyone to be ready to support Greg to go for a good result."

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Tour de Pologne: Skujins and Dombrowski return to action with Cannondale-Drapac

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Cannondale-Drapac has confirmed its team for the 2017 Tour de Pologne with Toms Skujins and Joe Dombrowski leading the squad.

The Tour de Pologne will be the first stage race for Skujins after crashing out of the Tour of California in May. The Latvian hasn't raced since the national championships in June and explained he is refreshed and ready for the WorldTour race starting Sunday in Krakow.

"The plan is simple. Race and test the body. Clearly I have done just two races since my crash in California and I've been training hard, so now I am just going to test out the body in racing," said Skujins. "Training has been going really well and the body feels great, but once you throw yourself into a race and push yourself to the limit it's a bit different. I'm pumped to test myself out and build a good block of intensity in for the second part of the year."

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Skujins won a stage at the Coppi e Bartali and finished second overall and will be hoping for similar results on familiar roads in Poland across the seven-stage race.

"The fans in Poland are pretty cool and I've acquired quite a few there. I've also raced plenty around Poland when I was coming through the ranks, so it's a bit like coming back to the roots, only at higher speeds and with a deeper field," he said. "On top of that, add good hotels and organizers that really make an effort to make the race exciting and enjoyable. It's a winning combo."

Dombrowski also makes his return to racing after a month's break following his early-season schedule that included the Giro d'Italia and Tour de Suisse. The 26-year-old has raced in America over late July and August in recent years, including winning the Tour of Utah in 2015, but has decided on a European racing programme that includes making his Tour de Pologne debut. With Polish heritage, Dombrowski explained he is looking forward to more than just the sporting aspects of the race.

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inCycle: Col d'Izoard at La Course - Video

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In this week's episode of inCycle, the crew travels to France to talk with the professional women's peloton about climbing the Col d'Izoard in this year's La Course by Le Tour de France.

"I think it's a massive opportunity for any of the real climbers in the peloton," said Lizzie Deignan (Boels Dolmans). "In women's cycling there aren't really that many opportunities for them, so tomorrow if you're a purist then it's the race for you I think. I only know what my parents have told me. They rode up it yesterday. Dad said it wasn't that hard, mum said it was really hard, so that's about as much as I know."

Next up is a visit to Classics country, as inCycle looks at what connects cycling and religion in Belgium at the Roeselare Wielermuseum in its temporary new home – a church. While the original site undergoes refurbishment, the Paterskerk is displaying dozens of bicycles, jerseys and portraits in the meantime, providing a unique setting for the trek through cycling history.

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Finally hear from rider agents and team managers alike as cycling's transfer season heats up. With the official signing period less than a week away, plenty of big riders already know where they're headed next season, having hashed out terms during the Tour de France.

"The second rest day of the Tour is probably the biggest transfer day of the year," says rider-turned-agent Baden Cooke. "Maybe contracts aren't getting signed, but deals are getting done."

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Dan Martin diagnosed with two fractured vertebrae after Tour de France top 10

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Quick-Step Floors' Dan Martin finished the Tour de France in sixth place overall only to find that he raced a full 12 stages with two fractured vertebrae. Martin sustained the injuries on the descent of the Mont du Chat on stage 9 when Richie Porte (BMC Racing) overshot a turn then crashed in front of him.

The Irishman will miss the Clasica San Sebastian after examinations discovered fractures to his transverse processes in his L2 and L3 vertebrae in his lower back. He will be out of action for three weeks.

"During the Tour I didn't have any problems when racing, but off the bike I wasn't feeling very comfortable, so this week I did a scan and got the news," Martin said in a team press release.

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"It's a real pity I won't ride San Sebastian, because the legs were there and it's a race I like, but fortunately this injury isn't something to worry about. In order to tackle my future goals in good condition, it's better to take a break and give the fracture time to heal. There's nothing else I can do, just rest and then build up for the final part of the season."

Quick-Step Floors will be led in the one-day race in Spain's Basque Country by Philippe Gilbert, who recovered from a bout of gastroenteritis that sent him packing from the Tour de France in the final week.

"It's my first race since the Tour de France, so it's hard to say where I am, especially as I had to pull out of the Tour due to illness," Gilbert said. "San Sebastian is always an important race, and of course I would like to do good, but it is difficult to say where I stand. I think my body is feeling better and I'm looking forward to racing again and to test the waters, but I'll be able to say more after the race."

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