What is happening with rider contracts? Marc Madiot isn’t happy – EUROTRASH Monday TOP STORY. Plus all the other news stories from the peloton.
TOP STORY:
- Marc Madiot: “We are following football and that is not good”
Rider news:
- Mathieu van der Poel to announce his cyclocross season soon
- Wout van Aert needs more running training before he starts cross
- Vingegaard finds Hinault’s criticism unjustified
- Furious Jonathan Vaughters lashes out at ‘rich bastard’ Christian Prudhomme
- Maxim Van Gils and Lotto Dstny are closer to an agreement
- No ban for Matthew Richardson, but will never compete for Australia again
- Nairo Quintana will ride two Grand Tours in 2025
- Mathieu van der Poel impresses professional golfer
Team news:
- Pressure off at Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal
- The British team with Chinese frames with fake UCI stickers Stops
- Javi Serrano renews his contract with Team Polti Kometa
- Axandre Van Petegem new pro in Bingoal-WB
- Will Visma | Lease a Bike have new equipment sponsors in 2025?
- Pogačar Tests Fizik Saddle: Are Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates Swapping Sponsors?
- UAE Team Emirates completes selection after signing former junior World champion
- Soudal Quick-Step visit Specialized in California
Race news:
- Legendary Parisian velodrome undergoes renovation
- Hungarian city wants to organise cyclocross World championships in 2029
And the sad news of young Belgian, Tuur Hancke died suddenly on his 19th birthday.
TOP STORY: Marc Madiot: “We are Following Football and that is Not Good”
In football (soccer) it is normal that players break their contract to go to another team, but in cycling it happens very rarely. In recent years it has become more common. Marc Madiot, the team manager of the Groupama-FDJ team, is not happy with the new fashion.
The French team boss showed his dissatisfaction in an interview with the Walloon RTBF. The two-time winner of Paris-Roubaix has spoken out because of the ongoing case of Maxim Van Gils. The Belgian decided to extend his contract with Lotto Dstny earlier this year, but is now in talks with the Belgian team about a termination of his contract because he has had better offers from other teams. Van Gils is not the first rider to do this, but it is still a fairly rare occurrence.
“What is happening to Maxim Van Gils now does not bode well for the future,” Madiot believes. “The emergence of large financial structures is not conducive to our relations with what I call the traditional sponsors of cycling.” By ‘large financial structures’, the Frenchman refers to the new sponsors and team owners in cycling, such as the state run sponsors like the United Arab Emirates, Astana and Bahrain, but also the big companies like Red Bull and INEOS.
“On the other hand, we have sponsors who have been loyal to cycling for years, such as the Belgian and French lotteries, Cofidis, Quick-Step and others,” Madiot points out. “However, a situation is now arising in which these sponsors are suddenly, from one day to the next, being called into question. That is really an unhealthy situation. We must also be very careful with these traditional financial backers. I have nothing against the arrival of large sponsors like Red Bull, the UAE or Bahrain, but it is important to comply with certain rules. Because there will come a day when these big giants will leave again. What will be left of cycling then?”
“The problem is not that there is a lot of money in cycling at the moment, but that it is unfairly distributed between the teams. Traditional sponsors are looking for a return on investment, but this is not the case for the new financial backers. They invest to impress, to crush the market and dominate, for as long as they feel like it. And then they leave again. And then we are left with the damage.”
Madiot draws a comparison with another sport. “Losing riders is part of the life of a team boss. But it is currently a trend. Of course we want to keep our riders, but that is not possible. We are increasingly following football, without benefiting from the same financial advantages. I do not think that is very healthy. Neither for the teams nor for the riders. It is not good. It is worrying.”
Mid-season transfers are not allowed in cycling at WorldTour and ProTeam level, unless there is an agreements between the three parties: the rider, his old team and his new team. The Professional Cycling Council must also approve this in advance, but there has never been any examples where they or the UCI have stopped a transfer. In all other cases, contracts in cycling are binding and a rider can only move team after his contract has expired. In football, this is called a transfer-free status. Provided that the three parties agree, a transfer during the current season is only possible between 1 August and 15 August.
The International Cycling Union will now work with two ‘transfer periods’ and can punish breaches of contract with fines and even suspensions for the rider, the new team and his agent.
Marc Madiot not happy with the way contracts are being side-stepped:
Mathieu van der Poel Will Announce his Cyclocross Schedule Soon
There has been a lot of speculation about Mathieu van der Poel’s cyclocross program, but now it seems we are getting closer to finding out when and where he will race. In an interview with Sporza, Christoph Roodhooft has said that it won’t be long.
According to Roodhooft: “It will be in the short term,” he said. “Let’s say: the program will be announced next week. We agreed to sit together again on Monday. Then hopefully we will be able to say something for ourselves and everyone, that everyone can also do something with”, Roodhooft said on Sunday before the Antwerp World Cup.
Van der Poel is currently still in Spain. The expectations are that the cyclocross World champion will race cross again around the weekend of 21 and 22 December, in the World Cups in Hulst and Zonhoven.
Van der Poel back to cross in December:
Wout van Aert Needs More Running Training Before he Starts his Cross Season
It looked like Wout van Aert would return to cyclocross shortly after the end of a training camp on December 19, but it now seems we will have to wait a little longer. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, Van Aert hasn’t been running enough due to his knee injury.
Van Aert suffered his knee injury in September in a hard crash in the Vuelta a España. He has had training sessions on the bike, but in recent weeks he has still had problems with running, according to HLN. Van Aert is said to be struggling with his running training. Of course you have to do some running in cyclocross.
It was already known that Van Aert would not make his return to cross until the end of December at the earliest. At the moment he is at a training camp with Visma | Lease a Bike until December 19 and will not be in action before that, team DS Jan Boven revealed earlier. The expectation was that Van Aert would start racing again shortly after the training camp, but due to his lack of running, it is doubtful whether that is feasible, wrote HLN. According to the Flemish newspaper, Van Aert will focus on running training in the coming weeks. These tests should show when he can ride a cyclocross again.
Wout needs more running:
Vingegaard Finds Hinault’s Criticism Unjustified
Jonas Vingegaard has responded to Bernard Hinault’s criticism. The French legend said earlier this year that Vingegaard seemed to enjoy racing less than Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, because the Dane ended his season in mid-August. Vingegaard points to his crash in the Tour of the Basque Country as the reason for his short season.
While Pogačar had 58 racing days in 2024 and Evenepoel 61, Vingegaard only raced 44 times this year. The climber started in O Gran Camiño, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Basque Country this spring, where he had to abandon in the fourth stage. Like Evenepoel, he crashed and suffered serious injuries: a collapsed lung, a contusion, a broken collarbone and several broken ribs. Vingegaard then had months of rehabilitation, but he still managed to finish the Tour de France in second place. He then contested the Clásica San Sebastián and the Tour of Poland. After the Tour of Poland, which ended on 18 August, less than a month after the final stage of the Tour de France, the Dane ended his season.
“He’s not the first to do this,” five-time Tour winner Hinault said about it in September in an interview with CyclismActu. “In the past, many riders who performed well in the Tour have said to themselves: ‘It’s fine, why should I keep fighting?’. We can ask ourselves whether these riders like cycling, because if you like cycling, you like racing and winning. Vingegaard seems to like racing less than a Pogačar or an Evenepoel.”
Vingegaard has now responded to Hinault in an interview with Ekstra Bladet. “I think a lot of people underestimate how much it cost to get me ready for the Tour de France,” said the Visma | Lease a Bike leader. “I don’t think he (Hinault) didn’t think about the consequences of my crash, and that I had to be ready for the Tour de France afterwards. If I hadn’t been ready in time for the Tour, I would have done more races in the autumn of course. But if you do one thing, you have to leave the other. With the crash I had, you can’t expect me to be in tip-top shape for the rest of the season. I don’t know if he knows how bad it was for me.”
Vingegaard doesn’t agree with Hinault:
Furious Jonathan Vaughters Lashes Out at ‘Rich Bastard’ Christian Prudhomme
Tour boss Christian Prudhomme made several statements about the safety issues in cycling during a meeting of the AIOCC, the umbrella organisation for cycle racing. These statements have not gone down well with Jonathan Vaughters. The team manager of EF Education-EasyPost believes that Prudhomme is blaming the riders for the dangers.
“In addition to the behaviour of the riders and the work of the organisation, it is absolutely necessary to reduce the speed towards decent figures,” Eurosport quotes Prudhomme. “The riders are going too fast. The faster they go, the greater the risk and the greater the danger to themselves and others.”
Vaughters responded cynically on X (Twitter) with the hashtag: ‘#MakeRacingSlowAgain’. He then went on to explain: “It makes me furious to see these rich bastards, who haven’t even raced a tricycle and are making tens of millions in profits at the expense of others, blaming the safety problems in cycling squarely on the riders.”
According to Vaughters, you can’t ask riders to take fewer risks by slowing down. “They are very competitive people,” he says. “They are programmed to take life-threatening risks. In that sense, they are similar to F1 drivers. And just like in Formula 1, the solution is to create a safe environment around them. Because they will always push their limits, as far as they can.”
Jonathan Vaughters not happy with Prudhomme:
Maxim Van Gils and Lotto Dstny are Closer to an Agreement
Maxim Van Gils and Lotto Dstny are heading for an amicable goodbye, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. The Flemish newspaper also writes that Astana Qazaqstan has made a new and improved offer for Van Gils.
Van Gils had a contract with Lotto until 2026, but surprised everyone last week by pushing for an early departure. He then said that he was convinced of a good outcome and expected clarity by the end of November to the beginning of December at the latest. “It is important for both Lotto and me that this is over quickly,” the young Belgian told WielerFlits.
If no agreement is reached between Van Gils and Lotto Dstny, this could lead to a long legal battle. But according to Het Laatste Nieuws, the two parties are now heading for a ‘clean farewell’, as they are getting closer to an agreement and seem to be parting ways on good terms. If an agreement is indeed reached, Van Gils will move to a new team. Among the teams that are interested are Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Astana Qazaqstan. The Kazakh team is said to have made a ‘new and financially stronger bid’, according to HLN.
Maxim Van Gils closer to leaving Lotto Dstny:
No Ban for Matthew Richardson, but Can Never Race for Australia again
The 25-year-old track cyclist, Matthew Richardson, decided earlier this year to change from being Australian to being British. He was facing a two-year ban, however, Richardson is now on the blacklist of the Australian Cycling Federation: he will never be allowed to compete for Australia again.
AusCycling announced on Monday. “We have completed an investigation into the circumstances under which track cyclist Matthew Richardson announced his intention to change his nationality after the Olympic Games in Paris. The investigation has determined that he acted in a manner that was inconsistent with the values of AusCycling, the Australian national team and the wider cycling community.”
Following the investigation, the Australian Cycling Federation draws three important conclusions: “Richardson requested the UCI to postpone the official announcement of his change of nationality until after the Olympic Games. This request was supported by British Cycling. Furthermore, he withheld information about his decision from AusCycling, his teammates and other key stakeholders prior to the Olympic Games. After the Olympic Games, but before announcing his decision, Richardson requested that AusCycling property – including a modified bike, cockpit and Olympic race suit – be taken to the UK. This posed an unacceptable risk to AusCycling’s intellectual property.”
Based on these findings, the Federation has imposed several sanctions. Richardson will no longer be allowed to compete for Australia in the future. He will also no longer be allowed to use equipment from the Australian cycling team and its partners and Richardson will no longer be eligible for AusCycling-related prizes.
The Australian Cycling Federation also believes that Richardson should be banned for two years. However, AusCycling is not in a position to suspend the track cyclist and has looked to the UCI for help. Behind the scenes, the federation investigated with the International Cycling Union and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) the possibility of applying a two-year non-competition clause. This appears to be legally unfeasible. “This clause will now be reviewed for future agreements with athletes. Integrity, respect and trust are fundamental to our team and our organisation, and we remain focused on creating such an environment,” the federation concluded.
The UCI rules prohibit Richardson from riding the upcoming major championships due to his change of nationality. As a result, he had to miss the 2024 Track Cycling World Championships in October in Denmark and the 2025 Track Cycling European Championships in Heusden-Zolder. The (now) Briton was allowed to participate in the UCI Track Champions League last weekend, where he beat his great sprint rival Harrie Lavryesen, twice.
No ban for Matthew Richardson:
Nairo Quintana Will Ride Two Grand Tours in 2025
Nairo Quintana will start the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España in 2025, he announced in an interview with the EFE news agency. The Tour de France, just like last season, is not on the program of the 34-year-old Colombian.
Movistar recently announced that Quintana has extended his contract with the Spanish team for one season. The climber returned to the team in 2024, after being without a team for a year. Quintana tested positive for Tramadol in 2022, after which he and his then team Arkéa-Samsic decided to part ways. The comeback year at Movistar was fairly quiet, although he did come close to a stage win in the Giro d’Italia. Tadej Pogačar snatched the stage win in Livigno from him.
“We had a good season,” Quintana now looked back on 2024. “There were ups and downs, but we ended the season well in Italy (16th in Il Lombardia). Now I am looking forward to the start of the new season. That will be in February, in Spain.” It is not yet known in which Spanish race exactly he will start his season.
What is clear is what Quintana will focus on in 2025. “The goal for 2025 is to do the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España,” said the former winner of both the Tour of Italy (2014) and the Tour of Spain (2016). The Tour de France, where he was second twice (2013 and 2015), is not on his program. This also has to do with the need for UCI points. Quintana mainly wants to ‘earn points’ next season to ‘open doors’ for Movistar, it is said. That must happen in the Giro and Vuelta.
Movistar is not directly in the danger zone, as far as the promotion/relegation battle is concerned. The team is in 13th place for the 2023-2025 cycle, while the first eighteen teams are entitled to a WorldTour license for the period 2026-2028. Movistar (on 21873 points) has almost six thousand points ahead of Arkéa-B&B Hotels (15874), the first team below the relegation line.
Giro/Vuelta for Quintana in 2025:
Mathieu van der Poel Impresses Professional Golfer
Mathieu van der Poel is meant to be planning his 2024/25 cyclocross program, but the Dutchman has been more focused on golf. This week he has been on the golf course in Benidorm, Spain.
Mathieu van der Poel has been crazy about golf for quite some time. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider regularly hits down the green. On Tuesday, Van der Poel was on the course in Benidorm together with the Belgian professional golfer Alan de Bondt. De Bondt was very impressed by the Dutchman’s swing. “On fire”, he wrote on Instagram. Van der Poel is enjoying himself on the golf course, in between training sessions, but cycling fans want to know when he will return to cyclocross.
Van der Poel the golfer:
Pressure Off at Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal
The weekend brought relief to the Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal team and Eli Iserbyt. For weeks they were close to that big victory, but in the first round of the World Cup in Antwerp, everything fell into place.
In recent years, Pauzel-Sauzen-Bingoal has always been the big winner in the first half of the cyclocross winter, but this year something always went wrong. Whether it was a beer thrower on the Koppenberg, flat tyres at a bad time or crashes. “Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong in recent weeks”, said team manager Jurgen Mettepenningen.
“But I still didn’t get nervous, because we were never really beaten on our merits. It was more due to circumstances, Eli has never lost a cross man to man. This weekend was marked out, this was the moment we had to be there. The World Cup is our priority, that will be the biggest goal of the season. Just like the other rankings.”
Mentally, that situation must have weighed on leader and Belgian champion Eli Iserbyt. “It makes a big difference to be here with a big win,” he said afterwards. “I worked hard physically and mentally with the right people around me. It is a matter of continuing to believe in yourself. Last week was very difficult because of the crashes, in Merksplas I did not find the feeling I was looking for. Now I have had a good week, riding a lot in the sand. That pays off.”
Still, according to Iserbyt there was never a physical problem. “And then you have to work on the mental side. If things keep going wrong, you have to arm yourself extra with a mental coach. You certainly should not underestimate that as a top athlete. I am not a doubter, but you have to use your own potential sufficiently. Especially if weekend after weekend is not what you expected. All the comments build up. There are side issues that come into play, a lot happened at the beginning of the season. That weighs and now I can let it go.”
Iserbyt also did that very concretely during the matches. In Antwerp he took matters into his own hands early on, just like the day before in Kortrijk. It was no coincidence that he and teammate Michael Vanthourenhout played it that way. “Team leaders Mario (De Clercq) and Thomas (Joseph) had pointed out to us that we had to go for it even more. I also wanted to show myself because I thought I was riding too passively. The start of the World Cup also gave me a healthy tension to go for it even more.”
Which also seems to have broken the mental barrier of the team. “Eli is a frequent winner, someone who has to win to feel really good about himself,” Mettepenningen explains. “That pressure just had to be released. You can’t believe how much good this does for Eli. This will give him a mental boost after everything he has already been through. He has always continued to work very hard and train very hard to make progress. We will see a reborn Eli Iserbyt in the coming weeks.”
Iserbyt is now making the World Cup a goal and, if he stays healthy, will ride all the events. But in the meantime he will continue to take good care of himself. “I will now be in Spain for three weeks in a row. Not to train extra, but to let everything settle down. Being able to train in the sun is always better than in bad weather.” Teammate Michael Vanthourenhout was already in Spain last week, but he will return to Belgium after the cross in Dublin.
All going well for Eli Iserbyt… now:
The British Team with Chinese Frames with Fake UCI Stickers Stops
The British Continental cycling team, Saint Piran, will not race next year. The team has been in financial trouble for a long time and can no longer find new sponsors for 2025 due to recent negative media coverage.
The team was recently caught with fake UCI stickers on unbranded Chinese frames. According to CyclingWeekly, this allowed the cycling team to race on bikes that were not officially approved by the International Cycling Union. The British team was able to go under the radar for a long time because of the UCI stickers with the text ‘approved’ on them. However, because no frame codes were found on the stickers during a check, the team was exposed. According to team owner Richard Pascoe, this was because he had crossed out the frame codes with nail polish. The team’s riders knew they were riding Chinese bikes, but not that the team was cheating on UCI regulations.
The subsequent negative media attention proved to be the last straw for Saint Piran’s team management. “This is a really difficult decision, but it is the right one,” the press release said. “As we close our doors, other doors are opening for a team that wants to step into our shoes. It is an incredible opportunity. Saint Piran has proven that you can successfully run a Continental team in Great Britain, and then compete against the best teams in the world.”
“Unfortunately, the stars were not aligned for 2024 and that now demands its role. Bad luck, an unhealthy financial situation and wrong decisions contributed to the team’s downfall. However, Saint Piran will continue to develop, in the cycling sector and beyond. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has played a role in our growth over the past eight years. Without you, this would not have been possible.”
With the demise of Saint Piran, the curtain also comes down on the last British continental cycling team. It was recently announced that Trinity Racing will no longer have a road team in 2025. In recent years, Trinity Racing has been one of the best development team in British cycling. Not only Tom Pidcock, but also riders such as Ben Turner, Ben Healy, Luke Lamperti, Thomas Gloag, Paul Magnier, Lukas Nerurkar and Max Walker passed through the team. The team, like Saint Piran, struggled with financial problems. The team will remain active in mountain biking.
The end of the road for Saint Piran:
Javi Serrano renews his contract with Team Polti Kometa
The fast and explosive rider from Madrid will continue one more season wearing the jersey of Team Polti Kometa. After his first two seasons in the ProTeam, and achieving several podiums and top-10 sprint finishes in races such as Austria, Rwanda, Asturias or Hungary, his work in support of the sprinters has also been fundamental.
Youth formed in the Alberto Contador Foundation and potential still to be explored. Javi Serrano’s presence at the front positions has been a tonic this season. “I think I have accumulated a positive balance, I have taken a step forward this year and I have found my place, my strengths in competition where I can contribute to the objectives of the team. In addition, I have been quite consistent with results from the beginning to the end of the year”, adds Serrano.
The rider will remain a Team Polti Kometa rider in 2025. “And the objectives are to continue progressing in the line that we are doing and to take the step to be able to compete in races. I want to be in a position to win, which is what I’m missing after so many great positions and to improve in every race”.
Jesús Hernández, sports director: “Javi is a young rider, still growing, but he has already shone this year and in certain races and routes he is really competitive. I hope that this flashes will be consolidated this coming season in great results for him”.
Axandre Van Petegem New Pro in our Ranks
Axandre Van Petegem (22) joins our Wagner-Bazin WB group from the 2025 season. The son of Peter van Petegem, after several years in the world of football at the Oudenaarde club, decided to embark on a cycling career in 2017 under the colours of the Onder Ons Parike club. He won the Critérium de la Jeunesse in Luxembourg in 2018. He then moved to the ranks of Home Solution-Soenens in 2021 before signing with Jumbo-Visma Development Team in 2022-2023 and with Lidl Trek Future Racing in 2024. Axandre finished 9th in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad U23 in 2022, he signed several top 3s in 2023 and 2024, including an East Flanders champion title. In 2024, he competed, among others, in the Tour Poitou-Charentes in Nouvelle Aquitaine as an intern in our structure. (Photo M. Lainé – Bingoal WB)
Axandre Van Petegem: “I am very happy to sign my first professional contract with the Wagner-Bazin WB group. This is a new chapter for me. My main goal in 2025 is to gain experience in professional races and gain power. I consider myself a classics rider and I want to improve in this area: I am also looking forward to the spring races. I started cycling in the cadets. Unfortunately, I injured my hip while I was a hopeful at Jumbo-Visma and I was unable to race for a year. I was only able to get back on the bike in the middle of my third year as an U23. I then felt better and better, able to progress well. Last year, I signed with Lidl Trek where I learned a lot. I became East Flanders champion, among other things.”
Christopher Brandt: “We have been following Axandre for a long time, especially because of the attachment we have with his father, Peter. Axandre has had the chance to evolve in two World Tour Development teams over the last two years, he did an internship in our pro group at the end of the 2024 season. He will strengthen our team, among other things, in the Flemish races and in events with hilly courses. Axandre has had physical problems in recent years: all that is behind him and we hope that he will take a good step within the pro group by spending a studious winter in training. He has talent and, with work, he can become a very good pro.”
Will Visma | Lease a Bike Have New Equipment Sponsors in 2025?
Wout van Aert is training hard for his comeback after his Vuelta crash. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider may have been training with new equipment, as images of his training show him using Continental tyres and a Prologo saddle. Neither brand is currently a sponsor of the team.
In recent weeks, Wout van Aert has been training on the Costa Blanca, based in Dénia, to improve his form in preparation for his cyclocross comeback. Images of these training sessions, first shared by Instagram account @Cyclingspy, show him using Continental GP5000 tyres. This may be a personal preference of the Belgian rider, but it is possible that he is testing new equipment and that the images are a precursor to a new sponsor for his Dutch team. Visma | Lease a Bike at the moment uses tyres from Vittoria. In addition to the tyres, Van Aert also had a new saddle. The Prologo logo can be seen in the photos, Fizik is currently the saddle sponsor of the team.
New kit for Wout?
Pogačar Tests Fizik Saddle: Are Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates Swapping Sponsors?
As you can see above: We saw that Wout van Aert was training with a new saddle, from Prologo. Now images have emerged of Tadej Pogačar’s bike with a Fizik saddle on it. It looks like UAE Team Emirates and Visma | Lease a Bike are swapping saddle sponsors.
This season, Fizik is the saddle sponsor of Visma | Lease a Bike and Prologo supplies saddles to UAE Team Emirates. A switch of those two sponsors seems imminent, now that images have emerged showing riders from both teams with new saddles. On Monday, Instagram account @Cyclingspy shared a photo of Van Aert training with a Prologo saddle, then on Tuesday images emerged of UAE riders with a Fizik saddle.
You can see that Tadej Pogačar’s bike is equipped with a Fizik Vento Argo R3 Adaptive. There is also a photo of Jay Vine training with the same saddle, which makes it likely that the UAE team will swap Prologo for Fizik in 2025.
Saddle swapping in the peloton:
UAE Team Emirates Completes Their 2025 Roster
Julius Johansen will ride for UAE Team Emirates in 2025. Ekstra Bladet reported the move last week, but now the team has confirmed the news. The 25-year-old Johansen has signed a one-year contract. He rode for Intermarché-Wanty in 2022 and 2023, but then took a steps back to the Portuguese Continental team Sabgal/Anicolor.
Johansen is the latest addition to UAE Team Emirates, which starts 2025 with 29 riders. “We are very happy to welcome Julius,” said team manager Mauro Gianetti on the team website. “He already has a lot of experience at WorldTour level. In addition, with his profile he can add strength to the team when it comes to supporting our leaders.”
Johansen himself is very grateful for the trust that UAE has placed in him. “It’s a dream come true to join such a professional and successful team,” he said. “I know this is the perfect place for me to grow and develop as a rider, with the guidance of the experts within the team. Being part of such a winning culture is truly inspiring. I’m looking forward to helping the team achieve many victories. I can’t wait to get started and meet everyone. I’m ready to give it my all.”
Johansen was considered a great talent at the start of his career. The Dane was junior World champion in 2017 and won the Olympia’s Tour in 2018 as a first-year U23 rider. At the time, he rode for ColoQuick, where he was a teammate of Jonas Vingegaard. In 2020, Johansen turned pro with Uno-X. After two years with the Norwegian team, the speed skater moved to Intermarché-Wanty in 2022.
Johansen never really got off the ground at WorldTour level. He didn’t get a contract extension with Intermarché-Wanty after 2023 and then tried to relaunch his career with Sabgal/Anicolor. Johansen joined the Continental team in March 2024, after a spot had become available due to the departure of Antwan Tolhoek, who had been fired by Sabgal/Anicolor after a positive doping test.
With Sabgal/Anicolor, Johansen won a few races at national level in Portugal, but no UCI races. He did have some good placing in the Tour of Portugal: Second in the prologue, third in a transition stage and second in the final time trial. UAE Team Emirates previously announced the arrivals of Rune Herregodts (Intermarché-Wanty), Florian Vermeersch (Lotto Dstny), Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) and Pablo Torres (UAE Emirates Gen-Z). Johansen is the fifth and final signing.
Julius Johansen – UAE’s last 2025 signing:
Soudal Quick-Step Visit Specialized in California
Several of our riders have been visited Specialized at their HQ in California
Remco Evenepoel, Mikel Landa, Tim Merlier, Paul Magnier and Luke Lamperti , as well as several members of our management team, travelled for our annual trip to Specialized’s Morgan Hill facility innovation center. While there able to do some testing They tested in the famous Specialized WinTunnel, as well as working with Retul worked with Body Geometry Fit experts on optimising their on-bike position. as all parties continuing to Together, they worked on the all-important details that can make a difference when our riders are competing in some of the world’s biggest races and are a pillar of our successful relationship with Specialized. As well as the work, our riders were delighted to be able to join a global audience of Specialized employees to celebrate another successful season together, with our hosts also taking our riders and staff to see a Sharks v Red Wings ice hockey game.
On the trip, Remco Evenepoel said “We are very grateful to Specialized for hosting us. We’ve been working together for many years now. It’s a partnership where we share the same goal of always pushing and innovating to be better. It is so important visit to see the team here to fine tune things for the forthcoming season and talk about the development of new, faster equipment, and how we can implement its use. It is also nice to see the people that work so hard support us throughout the season and show our appreciation.” Adding to this, Ben Edwards, Specialized’s Global Marketing Manager – Road, said, “We’ve been partners with Soudal Quick-Step for well over a decade and we couldn’t be prouder of all we have achieved together. The work we do with the riders at these Fall camps is not just critical for the team’s success in the coming season. It helps us learn from the best riders in the world and bring the resulting innovation to all riders. Everyone at Specialized will be cheering the team on in 2025. We are so confident in our future together.”
Legendary Parisian Velodrome Undergoes Renovation
The Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil, also known as ‘La Cipale’, in Vincennes is being renovated. Thanks to the efforts of Française des Jeux and Heritage Foundation, 1.2 million will be invested in the velodrome, Ciclo21 reports.
The Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil is a velodrome in Vincennes, part of Paris since 1929. The track was built in 1896 and used for the Olympic Games of 1900 and 1924. The velodrome was also the setting for many cycling, football, rugby, cricket and gymnastics competitions.
For the slightly older cycling fans, the Vélodrome Jacques-Anquetil, located in the Forest of Vincennes, is a sporting heritage. Between 1968 and 1974, it was the finish location of the Tour de France. In 1968, Dutch cycling and sports history was written. Jan Janssen managed to ride Herman Van Springel out of the yellow jersey at the iconic cycling track, after a time trial, and became the first Dutchman to win the Tour de France.
After the Tour organisation decided to move the finish to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in the center of Paris, the Vélodrome Jacques-Anquetil fell into disrepair. In recent years, the continued existence of the velodrome even seemed to be in danger, but with a substantial financial investment, the future now looks a lot brighter.
Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil to be saved:
Hungarian City Wants to Organise the 2029 World Cyclocross Championships
The World cyclocross championship could be held in Hungary in a few years, in Debrecen. The second city of Hungary is in talks with the UCI about organising the cross World champs in 2029. One of the men behind the idea said in an interview with Cyclocross Social.
The location for the 2030 cyclocross World championships will be in Namur, also the next four World championships will take place: Lièvin (2025), Hulst (2026), Oostende (2027) and Hoogerheide (2028). So far, the host of the 2029 cross Worlds is unknown. But there is interest from Hungary. In Debrecen, where a permanent cross course has been constructed and a UCI cross is held annually, has ambitious plans.
“We are negotiating on both sides,” Béla Kovács, organiser of the UCI cyclocross in Debrecen and development coordinator at the Hungarian federation, told Cyclocross Social. “We are trying to convince the UCI to choose our location and at the same time present our plans to the government to secure the financing. I am optimistic that, when the time comes, the necessary budget will be available to organise a high-level cyclocross event in Hungary.”
Kovács states that cyclocross is developing in Hungary. He points to several talented riders from the country, including Blanka Kata Vas, her brother Barnabás and Zsombor Takács. If it is not possible to bring the 2029 World Cross Championships to Debrecen, then 2031 is also an option, he said.
Hungarian cross champ – Blanka Kata Vas:
Young Belgian, Tuur Hancke Died Suddenly on his 19th Birthday
Sad news came from Belgium on Tuesday, promising young cyclist Tuur Hancke passed away. This was announced by his team The Lead Out Cycling Academy.
The Belgian passed away unexpectedly on his nineteenth birthday. “The club was deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death of Tuur Hancke”,<7em> the team wrote on social media. “Tuur has been with our juniors since 2022 and with the U23 cyclists last season.”
“Riders and staff have the best memories of Tuur. Always respectful, always cheerful, loved by everyone. Unfortunately, there is no more time left to create new memories together. We wish everyone who knew Tuur a lot of strength. First and foremost, Tuur’s family, his teammates and friends inside and outside the club.”
The promising cyclist from Lo-Reninge in West Flanders had decided to stop racing at the end of the season, but rode a number of national cycling events this year.
Rest in peace – Tuur Hancke:
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