Innehållsförteckning för May 15, 2025 från Cycling Weekly

Jim McKay credited his win at the 69th edition of the Rapha Lincoln GP on Sunday to practice, luck and heat training. The Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli rider joined a small group that formed with six of 13 laps of the 12.9km circuit to go. On the final lap the 28-year-old hit the bottom of the fearsome, cobbled Michaelgate climb first, holding on to take the win ahead of Alex Peters (DAS-Richardsons), with Alexandre Mayer (Foran CT) third. “It’s practice and a touch of luck,” the Sheffield-based rider told CW. “I’ve been at this race for many years, and every time you fail, you learn. I don’t think I was the strongest rider today, but the combination of a strong rider and the smartest, maybe, and you have the chance to win.” The…

If one were being critical, Demi Vollering’s initial months in the blue of FDJ-Suez could be seen as somewhat underwhelming. There were victories at Valenciana and Strade Bianche, but also nearmisses in what had been her domain, the Ardennes Classics. For a serial winner like the Dutchwoman, the podium at La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, along with 20th at the Amstel Gold Race, would not have cut it. However, after a week of racing at La Vuelta Femenina, things look radically different. The 28-year-old remains the rider to beat in stage races, particularly when the gradient really ramps up, and on long climbs. For the second year in a row, Vollering was victorious overall in Spain, taking home the red jersey and two mountain stage wins in the process. It…

Bike checks take around a minute each, and for these checks we use two people, one of which is a UCI-level commissaire. If each team arrives on time they should all get processed OK. However, if there is an issue with a bike, then that could cause a delay. Rowland Summerlin This balls-up, whether it be event organisers or the Movistar team, has caused a huge dent in the reputation of women’s cycling, not to mention significantly disadvantaged Visma-Lease a Bike. It should never have happened. Tracey Davey Why wouldn’t the UCI then adjust the start times so that other teams aren’t affected by one team? Or have absolute cut-off times for bike checks so that if you aren’t there on time, you can’t bite into other teams’ bike check-in…

The demise of the Saint Piran team at the end of last season meant that James McKay needed to find a new home. He did so with Wheelbase CabTech Castelli, an elite development outfit of some renown, and the results to date have been promising. McKay, a serial top-10 finisher last year in the National Road Series, came 17th at the Peaks 2 Day race, and notched up another top-20 finish at the Danum Trophy, before capturing his first win of the 2025 season at the Timmy James Memorial Grand Prix. He followed that up with a win at the Lincoln GP this weekend McKay rode to victory on his team-issue Cannondale SuperSix Evo 3. Designed as an all-rounder, it’s a race bike that’s as at home in the hills…

Canadian coach Steve Neal (stevenealperformance.com) explains why FatMax training matters – even if its benefits aren’t immediately apparent. The amount of FatMax training I prescribe depends on an athlete’s level of fitness. A really fit pro might be pushing 280-300 watts at just 65% of their max heart rate. On the other hand, with a beginner, if their FatMax is under 150 watts, that’s too low a training stimulus, so instead I start them with a lot of Zone 3 work – because they’re not yet fit enough to make full use of FatMax training. The riders I test are always surprised by how low an intensity their FatMax is. But remember, our physiology doesn’t care what we perceive the work to be. If you’re riding at FatMax, the energy…

Strong winds and hot temperatures ended hopes of new records, but didn’t stop many riders having a useful day out at the Bike Pace 50 in South Wales, scene of the National 50-Mile Championships later in the season. Team Bottrill’s Jake Sargent and Emily Martin both proved victorious, with Sargent clocking 1:40.12 and Martin 1:49.37. “It was a hot and windier day than I thought once I started warming up,” said Martin. “I was keen to ride the course as the National 50 will be ridden on it later this year. I am glad I did. The last seven miles of it felt like forever and it was hard going in the heat. “ And Sargent added: “The wind was unforgiving, a headwind off the start line and only a…

Accursed peaks The peloton climbs on stage one of this year’s Giro d’Italia, which took place in Albania, not Italy. In the background you can see one of the peaks of the Accursed Mountains, a subgroup of the Alps. Window view The peloton rolls out of Lincoln ahead of the 69th Rapha Lincoln GP. After 13 laps taking in Castle Square, the beautiful timbered buildings the city is known for would no doubt have lost their allure. Into the dark Tunnels carve through rock in Asturias midway through the final stage of La Vuelta Femenina at the weekend. Without lights, the riders will be hoping that the road surface remains true beneath them. Urban jungle On his custom-painted Pinarello Bolide F, Josh Tarling powers past a mural of poppies in…

Mads Pedersen was the star of the show during the Giro d’Italia’s Grande Partenza in Albania, winning two stages and twice claiming the maglia rosa. The Danish Lidl-Trek rider continued his career-best form from the early-season stage races and the Classics, beating Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) in a sprint in Tirana on stage one, and then getting over a category two mountain 40km from the finish of stage three to triumph again. In doing so, he took the pink jersey off the shoulders of Red Bull’s Primož Roglič, who had inherited it by one second during the previous day’s time trial. Proud moment “It’s one of the biggest races in the world so it’s absolutely amazing to be able to say I have the pink jersey. It makes…

The Cytal helmet from Swedish brand, POC, released a few weeks ago, will now also be available in a special team-edition pink. The design promises ‘extreme’ ventilation levels and very low weight. POC claims the Cytal combines refined balance and enhanced protection and that, as such, it is one of the safest helmets on the market. The brand’s matching Elicit glasses are designed to integrate perfectly with the Cytal’s ‘eye-garage’ feature. The launch, in EF Pro Cycling team colours, is designed to mark the first women’s editions of the Vuelta Femenina and the Giro d’Italia. The helmet is packed with safety features and is designed around a variable-density EPS liner created by analysing heat map data. The helmet also features MIPS, the Swedish-developed safety system, that allows your head to…

1 Why is weight management so crucial in cycling? Cyclists often aim to optimise their power-to-weight ratio, which is the amount of power (watts) they can generate relative to their body mass (kg). A higher power-to-weight ratio is beneficial when climbing hills or accelerating. However, losing too much weight can lead to a reduction in power and thereby prove counterproductive. Despite some long-held beliefs in the sport about body mass and composition, there is no clear evidence about the extent to which decreasing body mass affects performance, either positively or negatively. 2 How best to maintain a target body weight? A sustainable weight loss strategy involves a consistent 300–500kcal daily deficit, high protein intake, and resistance training to preserve lean mass. Protein intake should be 2g per kilo of bodyweight…

These fans at the 1975 Giro d’Italia show almost as much pluck as the riders, ascending to the upper reaches of the famous Stelvio Pass to watch their heroes duke it out to the top. As the first Grand Tour of the year, the Italian tour can be beset by less than summery weather and, as is evident in this image, snow on the cols. The 2,758m Stelvio pass has seen many great battles, but none perhaps surpassed the one taking place in this image. This was stage 21 – the final day of the race, culminating in a summit finish on the mountain. Just 40 seconds separated maglia rosa Fausto Bertoglio and second-placed Spaniard Francisco Galdós (look carefully – you’ll see his name painted on the frozen tarmac). Galdós…

Josh Tarling became the first Welshman to win a stage of the Giro d’Italia when he took the stage two time trial in the Albanian capital city of Tirana by less than one second. Also doubling up as the Ineos Grenadiers rider’s first ever Grand Tour victory, the 21-year-old accomplished what his compatriot Geraint Thomas never did in his successful career: win a stage of the Corsa Rosa. Thomas, who finished second and third on GC in the last two Giros, finished second in six different Giro stages between 2015 and 2023 – but never reached the top step of the podium. “I rank it at the top [of his palmarès],” Tarling said. “This is my first Grand Tour stage win – it’s super. Big step “It hasn’t sunk in…

Lauren Dickson’s victory at the Rapha Lincoln GP on Sunday was the biggest win of her short cycling career, but it is also likely a stepping stone to greater things. The Handsling-Alba Development team rider only began racing in April 2024, but she was strong enough and, perhaps more importantly, tactically aware enough to be close to the front at every crucial moment. The most important of those came towards the end of the eighth and final lap of the 12.9km circuit around Lincoln, when Dickson was part of a six-woman group at the bottom of the final ascent of Michaelgate. There she opened the taps, sprinting up the famous cobbled climb to finish just ahead of track world champion Anna Morris (unattached). Grace Lister (Hess Cycling Team) was the…

Ineos-TotalEnergies deal close Ineos Grenadiers are close to agreeing a “multimillion-pound” deal with TotalEnergies, according to reports. The British WorldTour team have been public about their need for fresh investment, and sponsorship could come from the French petrochemical firm. Gianni Moscon on Instagram The Giro d’Italia arrived back in Italy on Monday, with the team buses neatly lined up next to the runway at Bari airport 50.455 The distance, in kilometres, Vittoria Bussi rode last weekend to break the UCI Hour record. The Italian was aiming to beat her own previous record, which she did by almost 200 metres in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Campag go 13-speed Italian components brand Campagnolo appears to have unveiled a 13-speed road cassette, with Cofidis employing a new version of Super Record Wireless at the Giro…

While we have to wait until 2027 for the Tour de France to grace British roads again, this year’s race serves as a solid warm-up. The 112th edition of the Tour spends its first week running tantalisingly close to England’s south coast, with the Grand Départ taking place just across the Channel in Lille. If you listen carefully you might even be able to hear the team presentations from the White Cliffs of Dover. For those who don’t fancy teetering on the Kentish coast with an ear trumpet, our guide below will put you in the midst of the best of the action on French soil. We’ve highlighted the best stages from the opening week, where we expect the most explosive action to play out, where to watch – and…

Carbon wheels have come a long way from the twitchy, slab-sided originals that were a handful in anything more than a light breeze. Prices have dropped too, and for many riders, they’ve become the first big performance upgrade. The move to disc brakes has enabled wider tyres and rims, and Scribe has been quick to adopt these new standards. Its range of carbon wheels features thoroughly modern dimensions at very reasonable prices. Scribe’s carbon road wheels come in three tiers: the top-end Elan, midrange Core, and the more affordable Inception. The Core and Elan are available in 40, 50, and 60mm depths, while the Inception comes in 50mm only. All rims and hubs are proprietary and designed and assembled in Belfast. We tested the Core SL+ 50, a sub-£1,000 wheelset…

Jacob Bradbury’s Wilier Cento time trial bike once belonged to the Italian Lampre team – the former incarnation of Tadej Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG. It is fitted out accordingly with 11-speed Campagnolo Super Record, Zipp 202/303 wheels and Vittoria 25mm Open Pave tyres. Aero bar set-up is Pro Missile, and of course there are the obligatory nods to UK TT safety in the form of front and rear lights – probably not something Lampre would have used. Want us to feature your race bike? Send a pic and information to cycling@futurenet.com…

If Simoncini is one of the lesser known Italian framebuilders, it’s largely because the Castelfiorentino-based brand spent decades making frames for third parties. Started in 1949 by brothers Renato and Oddino Simoncini, their workshop in the Tuscan countryside has built for famed marques such as Ciocc, Viner and Orbea. However, since 2017, the operation has been headed up by a third-generation Simoncini, Eugenio, and is back to making frames that bear the family name. This low-profile frameset from 1988 is one of the small number from this period made under the Simoncini name. The main frame uses starshaped Columbus tubing, possibly SLX, which, along with the sloping top tube and the 26in front wheel, gives the bike its distinctive looks. Lo-pro pursuit bikes were all the rage in the…