Innehållsförteckning för September 4, 2025 från Cycling Weekly

Cycling stories cross my desk every day but few stop me in my tracks like the one I read at a friend’s BBQ last weekend. Written by their 11-year-old daughter Ellie, it told the story of a cyclist lining up for the biggest race of their career. “This was it: the day my whole life had been leading up to… I took a deep breath. Go! We were off.” The race gets under way, hectic and vivid: “Swerving to avoid rocks and bumps… Gradually, the crowded group became a thin snake, weaving around sharp turns.” Suddenly, in the midst of the action, she flashes back to 20 years earlier: “my six-year-old self, in an empty car park… my dad’s strong hands helping me to keep my balance… my mum’s encouraging…

Jonas Vingegaard was not in the red jersey on Sunday evening, with Bahrain Victorious’s Torstein Træen still in the race lead, but he was in the virtual lead, with Træen expected to fall away. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider’s second stage win of this Vuelta put him firmly in front of his rivals for the Vuelta crown, with almost 40 seconds on João Almeida. In the absence of Tadej Pogačar, Vingegaard is looking solid for his maiden red jersey, although there is still a long way to go. “My own legs today felt super good. Straight from the start of the stage, I felt great,” Vingegaard said post-stage. “We still thought it would be a breakaway stage, but then only five guys committed to break, and we still didn’t plan…

In only his second year of competitive cycling, Thomas Lee (Team Bottrill) took victory at the National 10-Mile Championship in Cornwall on Sunday. The 24-year-old from Sheffield was third at this year’s National 50 and second at the National 25. And after winning the National 10, he vowed to spend 2026 chasing down national records and competing with some of the ‘top guys’ who were absent from the title race last weekend. “It’s pretty cool to win the National 10!” he said. “But I want to keep improving and maybe go for the competition records and challenge the top guys. I’m not there this year, but who knows what the future holds?” Lee clocked 20.38 to leave team-mate Rob Francis second in 20.57, while Timothy Torrie (Defined CT) was third,…

I just watched the Vuelta team time trial. I wonder what riders think about having to sit in the ‘Hot Seat’? If they are early starters and do well, they could be sat there for two hours or so. If the weather is very hot or very cold, this cannot be a pleasant experience. As far as I can see, this does not really serve any useful purpose. The only people that can view this are those people in the immediate vicinity, and TV viewers who are given an occasional shot. I would think that riders would be far happier doing whatever they normally do after a race finish. The hot seat is a fairly recent introduction to TTs, probably the idea of some hot-shot PR person. It would be…

● “I wish I had appreciated my achievements more at the time, and realised how big a deal it was winning the races I did. When I raced in the Giro Donne, I didn’t even know it was the inaugural event. I was so naive. I finished ninth overall, which was incredible, as I was only 19.” ● “I also did well at the Tour de l’Aude, which was a big event in those days. In my first year there, I got to wear the climber’s jersey for a day, and the year after that I was third behind Maria Canins and Jeannie Longo. I didn’t know much about cycling – I just happened to be good at it.” ● “I didn’t even watch much cycling in the Olympics. If…

Once you know your optimum carbohydrate intake, the next step is choosing the right source. Convenience products dominate the market: most gels, such as SiS Beta Fuel or Precision Hydration, contain 30 or 40g of carbs each, while drink mixes typically deliver 60-90g per litre and often add electrolytes to replace those lost in sweat. Energy chews and bars usually sit in the 25-45g range and can be more satisfying on longer rides. Whole foods are an option too: a medium banana provides about 27g, two slices of white bread about 30g, and a handful of dried fruit about 25g. The key is selecting products you actually enjoy – because fuelling only works if you can stomach it hour after hour.…

SEPTEMBER CHALLENGES Each month we set our riders two challenges to keep them motivated no matter their total mileage. Here are the September challenges ● CW MINI 1. Find and ride a bridleway or path 2. Complete a ride with 1,500ft of climbing ● CW MIDI 1. Do a 50 mile ride 2. Complete a ride with 3,000ft of climbing ● CW MAXI 1. Do a 75 mile ride 2. Complete a ride with 5,000ft of climbing ● CW5000 1. Do a 100 mile ride 2. Complete a ride with 8,000ft of climbing ● BONUS CHALLENGE Join a MyWhoosh virtual social ride. Every Thursday 5:30pm Sign up to the MyWhoosh Big Ride Challenge at www.cyclingweekly.com/bigridechallenge POWERED BY…

The Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France was won by Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) in a mass sprint finish ahead of Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) and Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike). It continues a turnaround for the 23-year-old, after he won the Renewi Tour last month, and follows an illness and injury-blighted year and a half. The women’s equivalent race, the Classic Lorient Agglomération-CERATIZIT was won by Mischa Bredewold of SD Worx-Protime for the third season in a row, equalling Lizzie Deignan’s record of victories at the race. The 25-year-old launched her sprint first in Brittany, was briefly passed by Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) but fought back to take the win. Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels) finished third. It was Bredewold’s sixth win this year, her most successful season to date. In another women’s…

Chris Froome crashes badly Chris Froome underwent successful surgery following a training crash in France last Thursday that saw him airlifted to hospital. The 40-year-old suffered extensive injuries, including a collapsed lung, five broken ribs and a fractured lumbar vertebra. La Vuelta on Instagram Torstein Træen’s dream is apparently to have a burger on the Vuelta rest day - the Norwegian has certainly earned it 40 The number of world titles Fin Graham has in the C3 road race, after winning his latest rainbow jersey in the Para-cycling World Championships in Ronse, Belgium, last weekend. The 25-year-old also took bronze in the C3 time trial. Seixas and Holmgren win l’Avenir Frenchman Paul Seixas and Canadian Isabella Holmgren won the men’s and women’s editions of the prestigious Tour de l’Avenir last…

Why have you gone back to track? I was on the GB Academy as an U23 rider and wanted to follow the Olympic pathway, but in my third year I was released from the academy. I’ve raced on the road ever since and had a lot of success domestically but toyed with retiring at the end of 2024, as I felt like it had run its course. Why did you continue cycling? It was twofold. First, while supporting my girlfriend [Megan Barker] at the Olympics last year, I thought, “let’s see if I can give the Games another shot.” Second, I’m really competitive, and I didn’t want to stop when I still had lingering ‘what-ifs’. I spent a full winter on the track, and in April British Cycling gave me…

Sir William Hill Hill-Climb Where: Derbyshire When: Saturday 13 September The aptly named Sir William Hill Hill-Climb is run by the Grindleford Goat team, the day before their sportive. The climb is 2km, at an average of 9.7%, but there are ramps up to 16.5%. Entry closes on Tuesday, and costs £13 for seniors. Nebo Road Hill-Climb Where: Conwy When: Sunday 14 September Kick off your hill-climbing season with this reasonably gentle effort, although it’s a long one. Nebo Road is 5.5km long at 5.1%, with sections at 8.7%. There are prizes, including a random mystery prize, and entries close on Tuesday; £15 each.…

Earlier this season, I was chatting to a pro team staffer about how they use TV pictures in the team car – for example, he told me that there’s always a bit of lag from the live action, which limits it a bit, but it can be helpful for things like trying to work out how knackered your rivals are. “And of course, there’s the invaluable commentary,” I said. “I mean, you wouldn’t want to be without the tactical observations of people like me.” To be clear, I was being sarcastic. But: “It’s funny you say that,” he said, “because I’ve always wondered how some of the commentators would get on if they tried to be sports directors. I mean, there’s no one who watches as much cycling as a…

For all his success, Tom Pidcock has never finished in the top 10 overall at a Grand Tour. This is what he overtly came to this Vuelta a España to do, to take aim at a high finish on general classification in his second Grand Tour this season. In fact, Pidcock has never been higher than fifth on GC mid-race at a Grand Tour, something which changed on Sunday when the Q36.5 Pro Cycling rider finished second behind stage winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) at Estación de Esquí de Valdezcaray on stage nine. As a result, Pidcock moved up to fourth overall. While he is almost a minute behind Vingegaard, it has been a very promising opening nine days for the 26-year-old. Sunday was only the third time that…

Should be a white sunglasses-themed jersey. Gregory Samuel Hilton What a career this great professional has had! Never seen him stressed ever in interviews on Eurosport etc! Even after all the crashes and pressure in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. He will be missed. John Burleigh Looking forward to seeing this from the roadside. Graham Dolman Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe riding into Paris, Thomas in the yellow jersey, holding the Welsh flag aloft between them, is one of Welsh sport’s magical moments. Reading about how as kids they would belt around Cardiff pretending to be in the Tour and then seeing that ultimate realisation has me welling up every time (including now). Mike Cross Super G – happy retirement and wishing you well! One great rider…

“So far today I’ve done 32,500 steps – my average is 37,000. I was up running on Ilkley Moor earlier, and it was fabulous,” says a refreshed Lisa Brambani, speaking to me by video call from her home in Yorkshire. Fifty-eight-year-old Brambani and her husband Michael moved in a year ago after a lengthy restoration project. Extreme DIY and garden design have become her passion, so much so that she also restored her daughter Abby Mae Parkinson’s house a few years ago. Twenty-eight-year-old Parkinson is a former pro racer, and Brambani has been supporting her not only with renovations but also in her day job, promoting Rampage, a fundraising race for the Yorkshire Children’s Charity. The extreme cycle competition saw riders race up five floors of the iconic Victoria Gate…

In the world of ultra riding, carbs don’t cut it. A longdistance specialist tells us why he focuses on fats instead ExoAnalytics has worked with numerous elite athletes, including professional triathlete Chris Beckmans, who has just posted his best-ever Ironman result in Copenhagen, shaving over five minutes off his previous bike leg time. “I undertook the [ExoAnalytics] test on the bike a couple of months ago,” Beckmans tells me. “As a result, I was able to adapt my carb intake leading into both the final key sessions of my prep, and on race day, with great success.” In a different sphere of cycling, the reliance on and effectiveness of simply smashing carb-heavy supplements isn’t necessarily the best approach. Ultra rider Ian To, organiser of the epic 4,000km Via race, stresses…

A tale of a tandem rider, trying to figure out a way to measure power output separately for pilot and stoker by putting a crank-based power meter into the frame back to front so the chainring was on the left, for the timing chain linking the riders. Of course, the pedals had to go on backwards because they have different threads. He solved this by drilling holes in his shoes and turning the cleats back to front – awkward but doable. “Job done,” he thought. Arriving at a junction, he discovered that clipping in was easier than clipping out. He and his stoker both fell over with a crash and much spectator mirth. Also, the cleats failed to release and he broke his ankle.…