Loads to hear from Tadej Pogačar in EUROTRASH Thursday: Will he ride Paris-Roubaix? Which Grand Tours will he ride? Is he better than Eddy Merckx? And his new aero Colnago. Plus you can see the video interview with the World champion. Not all Pogačar – All the news from the peloton.
TOP STORY:
- Tadej Pogačar still considering Paris-Roubaix – Full interview video
Rider news:
- Tadej Pogačar better than Eddy Merckx? Roger De Vlaeminck sees a lack of opposition
- Eddy Merckx breaks hip in cycling accident
- Up to seven years in prison for Rohan Dennis after guilty plea
- Remco Evenepoel has a return date in mind
- Mathieu van der Poel’s cyclocross schedule is with the organisers
- Bart Wellens on Wout van Aert’s cyclocross plans
- Dylan van Baarle hopes for alternative start of the season
- Taco van der Hoorn stays loyal to Intermarché-Wanty and extends two years
- Louka Mattijs to Ride Stage Races and the Ardennes in 2025
Team news:
- Patrick Lefevere to step down as Soudal Quick-Step CEO
- A new Colnago for Tadej Pogačar?
- UAE Team Emirates welcomes SHIMANO as Official Technical Partner
- Soudal Quick-Step back in Calpe
- Decathlon AG2R has a New Sprint Bike and other equipment
Race news:
- 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné: Montluçon to host the opener
- Tro Bro Leon: By the bull’s horn
EUROTRASH coffee time.
TOP STORY: Tadej Pogačar Still Considering Paris-Roubaix
At the UAE Emirates media day in Benidorm on Tuesday, Tadej Pogačar was the star of the show. The World champion announced his race program for 2025 and answer questions from the gathered press and PEZ was there. The Slovenian had much to say and spoke about riding Paris-Roubaix… one day.
Pogačar will have a hard spring program next year, with major races such as Strade Bianche, Milan-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but UAE Team Emirates didn’t mention Paris-Roubaix. His participation in the ‘Hell of the North’ is not on his race schedule for 2025, although Pogačar is still keeping his options open.
“It is not a final decision yet. I might do that race after all, but I don’t think that Classic suits me that well. There’s still enough time to do Roubaix,” he said.
The 26-year-old will ride some cobbled races in 2025, including the E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem and DE Ronde van Vlaanderen. Is being World champion an extra incentive? “No, I just love those races and the classics. I want to do them for a few more years. It doesn’t matter whether I wear that jersey.”
Pogačar will also start two Grand Tours in 2025, but he has not yet decided between the Giro d’Italia or Vuelta a España. The Tour de France will be the big race of the year. “The Tour is of course the biggest and most important tour. But I discovered this year that riding two Grand Tours in one year is nice. You just have to plan, train and rest well.”
Can improve Pogačar improve even further? “I am still young and there is still room for improvement, but I have to wait for this winter. Even if I am a little less than this year, it is okay, right? It is about details. Training, nutrition, sleep: you have to strive for perfection. Every year a step further.”
See the full interview here:
Tadej Pogačar Better than Eddy Merckx? Roger De Vlaeminck Sees a Lack of Opposition
Tadej Pogačar dominated the 2024 season. Eddy Merckx, the greatest bike rider of all time, said that the Slovenian had surpassed him. But Merckx’s contemporary Roger De Vlaeminck disagrees.
“Now I have to pay attention,” said De Vlaeminck, when he was asked in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad that Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogačar are riders who can match Eddy Merckx’s palmarès. “I used to dare to say anything about that, but I don’t do that anymore. I don’t want to give interviews anymore after which everyone thinks I’m the bad guy. But I don’t want to lie either.”
But the 77-year-old De Vlaeminck said what he thinks anyway. “Eddy Merckx says that Pogačar is better than him, but I totally disagree. He is certainly the best rider in the world at the moment, but I find it hard to enjoy it because he is so much better than the rest. In Strade Bianche, a race of 215 kilometres, Pogačar rides alone in front for almost 90 kilometres. Who is behind him? I would have liked to have ridden Strade Bianche. Sand and riding uphill, two things I was very good at. How many times would I have won that race? With me, Merckx or Maertens, Pogačar would never have ridden alone in front for 90 kilometres. Born too early, right?”
When De Vlaeminck is asked whether the opposition is accepting Pogačar’s supremacy too quickly, he answers: “I wonder: who is the opposition? Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard, but he rides the Tour alone. Come on guys… Pogačar could become the fourth rider ever to win the five Monuments. He only has Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix to go. But then you have to look at who the opponents were. Where are the Italians? The Mosers, Gimondis and Bitossis that we had to ride against? Can you name one good Italian rider at the moment?”
How many Strade Bianche’s would De Vlaeminck have won?
Eddy Merckx Breaks Hip in Cycling Accident
Eddy Merckx broke his hip from a fall on his bike on Monday. The 79-year-old Belgian cycling legend needed surgery. “Eddy knew immediately what it was,” his wife, Claudine Merckx, told Het Nieuwsblad. “He felt a sharp pain.”
Merckx fell on Monday around 1:20pm in the Bankstraat in Hombeek, a sub-municipality of the city of Mechelen. Bystanders helped the former cyclist and then called the ambulance. “It was a stupid accident,” said Claudine, the wife of the five-time Tour and Giro winner.
“There were no other road users involved. Eddy just skidded. Fortunately, he was not alone, because Eddy felt a sharp pain. He knew immediately what it was and that suspicion was also confirmed in the hospital. He broke his hip. Eddy now needs surgery.” The operation will take place in the hospital of Herentals. “He will need a new artificial hip”, his sister told Sporza. Eddy Merckx also fell during a bike ride five years ago. The Belgian suffered a serious head injury and also suffered from back, hip and knee problems. A long and difficult rehabilitation followed, but Merckx managed to recover.
Update: Eddy Merckx after Successful Hip Surgery: “I was Very Lucky”
Eddy Merckx successfully received a new artificial hip on Tuesday morning after breaking his hip on Monday after a fall from his bike. The 79-year-old Belgian spoke from his hospital bed. “I’m in pain, but I’ve been very lucky”, he told Het Nieuwsblad.
In the hospital he had to have a new artificial hip. “I just got to the room,” said the former champion. “The operation has just ended. It’s waiting for the doctor to know if everything went well, but I think so.”
Merckx also spoke of his crash. “I didn’t ride fast, it was slippery. And suddenly I fell at the level crossing. I’m not sure how it happened, but suddenly I was on the ground. So stupid. I ended up right on my right hip. I knew I had something broken. I had a lot of pain, swelling, but at the same time I realise that I have been very lucky. The barrier was not closed, no train arrived. That could have ended worse, because I was lying there for a while, until bystanders came to help me”, said Merckx, who now has a long rehabilitation.
“The operation went very smoothly and a complete recovery is expected”, the hospital in Herentals told Sporza. “Eddy Merckx will stay in the hospital for at least one more night to recover from the surgery.” Merckx can begin his rehabilitation, where he will be able to support his hip. “This way, most patients are quickly back on their feet. Full recovery usually takes several months, but fortunately for Eddy Merckx, cycling is an excellent rehabilitation activity, something he can do after a few weeks.”
The ‘Cannibal’ gets a new hip:
Up to Seven Years in Prison for Rohan Dennis After Guilty Plea for Lesser charges
Rohan Dennis has reached a settlement in the lawsuit over his wife Melissa Hoskins, who was killed in 2023. The Australian ex-rider is not held responsible for the death of Hoskins, but has confessed guilty of one of the charges, ‘creating probability of damage’. He may go to jail for several years.
The case has been postponed a few times, but Dennis had to appear again in Adelaide Court on Tuesday. The public prosecutor dropped some other charges on that occasion. Dennis is not convicted of ‘dangerous driving with death’ and an aggravated charge of ‘driving without the required caution’. So Dennis confessed guilt in terms of ‘creating probability of damage’.
Dennis was ‘relentless’, but did not intend to kill his wife, the prosecutor ruled. He is not held responsible for Hoskins’ death. “There was no intention on Mr. Dennis to harm his wife,” his lawyer Jane Abbey KC told ABC. “This charge does not accuse him of responsibility for her death.”
The maximum prison sentence for the act for which Dennis is held responsible is seven years. His driver’s license can also be revoked for five years. The actual punishment will be announced later. Earlier, the Australian was told that he could have a maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison.
32-year-old Melissa Hoskins, who was also a cyclist, was involved in an accident with a Ute (pickup) on Saturday, December 30, 2023, a few metres from her family home. She was then taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital in critical condition, where she died.
RIP Melissa Hoskins:
Remco Evenepoel has a Return Date in Mind
Remco Evenepoel is already looking ahead to next year after his serious training crash in early December, which left him with multiple broken bones, bruises to both lungs and a dislocated collarbone. The Soudal Quick-Step Belgian hopes to be able to ride outside again in February.
The two-time Olympic champion told Studio Brussel, where he was a guest of Flemish radio presenter Eva De Roo for over an hour on Wednesday afternoon as part of the solidarity campaign De Warmste Week, which this year focuses on loneliness.
“Ça va,” Evenepoel responded to the radio program when asked how he was doing. “The painkillers are doing their job. I can’t complain, but I try to take it day by day. I still wake up in the night with quite a bit of pain, but I try to keep myself busy. For example, by reading some books. It’s a difficult period, with all the teams currently on team training camps.”
The Belgian also has a rehabilitation plan in mind, he says. “This month it’s important that I do nothing, try to move as little as possible so that the ligaments can heal. After that I hope to be able to train on the rollers. In February I might be able to cycle outside again.” The Giro d’Italia will be a difficult story, he thinks. “If I’m allowed to cycle outside again in February, I won’t be able to race again until early April. The Giro will come a bit early, but it’s always possible. We’ll see.”
Evenepoel recovering:
Mathieu van der Poel’s Cyclocross Schedule is with the Organisers
Mathieu van der Poel will definitely ride several cyclocross races this season. His schedule has now been submitted to race organisers, according to WielerFlits.
Van der Poel’s cyclocross plans are still not known. At the end of November, it was said that the plans would be released “in the short term”, but since then, there has been nothing. It is now clear that the World champion has made the decision on his cross race schedule, but is not known when he will go public. Last year, the 29-year-old Alpecin-Deceuninck rider rode his first cross on December 16, with a victory in Herentals.
In the last four winters, he started his first cyclocross race in mid-December at the earliest, and then rode thirteen to fifteen. In the 2021-2022 season, he only raced on Boxing Day and the day after, due to a painful back. Except for that year, the World championships in January/February have always been his aim. Whether that will be the case in 2025, remains to be seen. In the meantime, the program of his rival Wout van Aert is known. The Visma | Lease a Bike Belgian will ride six cyclocrosses, but will ride the Belgian and World the championships.
We still don’t know Van der Poel’s cross calendar:
Bart Wellens on Wout van Aert’s Cyclocross Plans
After much speculation, Wout van Aert announced his cyclocross programme last Friday. It will be a limited cross season for the Visma | Lease a Bike Belgian, as he will only competing in six cross races. Bart Wellens has given his thoughts on Van Aert’s plan.
The three-time cyclocross World champion will start his 2024/25 cyclocross season on 23 December in the Zilvermeercross in Mol. He will then ride in Loenhout, Gullegem and Dendermonde, before competing in Benidorm and Maasmechelen after a team training camp. There are no Belgian and World championships on his programme.
Last year, Van Aert competed nine times in cyclocross races, while the season before that he had 14 races to the World champs in Hoogerheide. “Six races is not much and he has selected them very well”, Wellens said of Van Aert’s programme in his Het Nieuwsblad column.
“He starts again in Mol after a very tough weekend with Hulst and Zonhoven. In Loenhout, there will not be many top riders at the start and the day before Gullegem you have Koksijde. Okay, he will be doubling up with Dendermonde, but if it is really difficult there, he will have the advantage again. Benidorm and Maasmechelen are tailor-made for him”, according to Wellens. “It is a well-thought-out programme, in which he chooses races where he thinks the level will not be too high and where he can compete for prizes.”
Dylan van Baarle Hopes for an Alternative Start to the Season
In less than two months, the first WorldTour race of 2025 will kick off the season: the Tour Down Under (21-26 January). Dylan van Baarle looks set to be part of the Australian stage race.
In the AD podcast In Koers, the 32-year-old Visma | Lease a Bike rider briefly spoke about the next season. The all-rounder will be heading to Spain for a training camp with his team. There, he will be working on his form for his first race of 2025. “The coaches met last week to finalise the programmes. I’ll hear it officially in December, but it looks like I’m going to the Tour Down Under”, Van Baarle said.
“I’ve also indicated that myself. Especially after last season, which didn’t go exactly as I wanted. I think it’s a good idea to start early and get that engine going again. The riders who go to Australia always hear about it in time. However, the selection is still being finalised.” Van Baarle has ridden the Tour Down Under in the past. In 2019, he made his debut in the Australian stage race. A year later, he finished fifth in the final overall. In recent years, the winner of Paris-Roubaix and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad has started his season in Europe.
Dylan van Baarle going Down Under:
Taco van der Hoorn Stays Loyal to Intermarché-Wanty and Extends Two Years
Taco van der Hoorn, who made a victorious return after sixteen months without competition, extended his contract with Intermarché-Wanty for two extra seasons. The master in long breakaways thus stays loyal to the team of Jean-François Bourlart until at least the end of 2026.
Since his arrival in 2021, the Dutchman stole the hearts of many cycling fans with his long breakaways. It was in this sensational way that in the Tour of Italy 2021, he took the first grand tour stage win for Intermarché-Wanty in Canale, before adding similar successes in the Benelux Tour and Omloop van het Houtland.
In 2022, Taco van der Hoorn continues to thwart the plans of the peloton and wins the Brussels Cycling Classic, and then flirts with the victory in his first Tour de France, defeated by only a couple of millimetres at the end of the cobble stage towards Arenberg. His work for his teammates was also noticed by the national coach, who selected him for the world championships in Wollongong.
After a new monster breakaway in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne that for a second year in a row almost resulted in a victory, 2023 seemed to be just as promising for Taco, until a bad crash in the Tour of Flanders. Victim of a severe concussion for the second time in his career, he was sidelined from competition for sixteen months while he recovered his full abilities.
Returning in August 2024 for the Tour of Leuven, Taco van der Hoorn displayed his eternal smile at the front of the race, accumulating 750 kilometres in breakaways during the Tour of Germany, the BEMER Cyclassics, the Tour of Guangxi, and the Elfstedenrace, which he won on October 2nd, securing his fifth victory in the colours of Intermarché-Wanty.
Taco van der Hoorn: “I am very happy that I’m back at my best form and able to look to the future with confidence. It is difficult to summarise all the progress made over the past eighteen months, but I hope that my experience can serve as an example for anyone going through a dark period. I’ve chosen to continue my career with Intermarché-Wanty, as we share the same vision. My personal ambition fits perfectly with the team’s objectives. I enjoy the full confidence of the sports directors in the races in which I believe I have a good chance of achieving a good performance. Moreover, thanks to the good atmosphere in the team, I always have a good time racing, which is an important factor for me. Finally, we have very competitive equipment. I feel involved with it and I feel listened to in the development of our equipment. I share the same vision as our Head of Equipment Mikey van Kruiningen, always seeking to push the limits together with our technical partners.”
Aike Visbeek (Performance Manager): “Taco van der Hoorn is one of our most popular personalities, a rider who is admired by the fans for his aggressive racing style. Together with Biniam Girmay, Louis Meintjes, Simone Petilli, Lorenzo Rota and Georg Zimmermann he forms the core of the team on which we build our identity since our accession to the World Tour in 2021. Taco sets an example, he inspires his teammates with his temperament and good mood, which is why we missed him so much during his long absence. Upon his return in August, he was immediately ready to perform and managed to maintain this level until the end of the season. We are very happy to be able to count on him again in the coming seasons. Together, we will continue hunting victories, especially in the classics.”
Louka Mattijs to Ride Stage Races and the Ardennes in 2025
A year ago, Louka Mattijs left his job as a teacher to become a professional rider. The Louviérois who will celebrate his 25th birthday on December 31 has proven to be a sure bet: he notably finished 2nd in a stage at the Semaine Coppi e Bartali, 4th in a stage at the Tour du Pays de Montbéliard, 14th in the Giro d’Abruzzo. In his 64 days of racing, he took part in the Ardennes classics, the Baloise Belgium Tour and the Tour de Wallonie where a fall in the 4th stage deprived him of a potential top 10 in the final ranking. Louka is taking part in the team’s first preparation camp (11-20/12) in Calpe (Esp). On the menu: endurance work… with the pleasure of being back with the group!
Louka Matthys: “I finished my 2024 season in Italy. I took two weeks off and resumed training at the beginning of November with running and little cycling. Unfortunately, I was hit by a car during training on November 5 and fractured a rib. So I had to take about ten days off. Everything is back to normal and I can ride endurance without any problems. I have also gradually resumed weight training and a few swimming sessions. The first training camp will allow me to get in shape and enjoy the weather and the courses in the Calpe region.”
Program: “I should start with the Classic Var, the February 21. It will therefore be a later recovery than in 2024. The objective is to shift my form to go a little further in the first part of the season, with the Flèche Wallonne – Liège-Bastogne-Liège series as the highlight.
2024: “It was a year of discoveries for me, of my very first training camps, in particular. A year later, I look back at the progress I’ve made, the leap forward I’ve made. I discovered my first classics, my first breakaways, the level of the World Tour… I’m leaving in 2025 with enormous motivation. I’m going to give it my all to get a new contract at the end of the season.”
Red thread 2025: “My common thread will be the stage races that can suit me and play a good general classification, show myself in the beautiful breakaways of the televised races. I want to remain as consistent as possible, as I was in 2024.”
Patrick Lefevere to Step Down as Soudal Quick-Step CEO – Current COO Jurgen Foré to Take Over as New CEO
Soudal Quick-Step have announced a change to its management structure, which will see Patrick Lefevere step down as its CEO on December 31st, 2024. Under the new arrangement, the current COO Jurgen Foré will step up to CEO and is to take charge of the running of the team on a day-to-day basis.
Foré joined the team in early 2024, having had a long career in business with his last position being as a partner with Deloitte. He steps-up to the role of CEO, fostering his relationships with the team and its sponsors and partners, that he has built up over the last 12 months while serving as COO. He will continue strengthening the sportive, commercial and operational processes of the team, working together with our riders, staff, sponsors and partners.
Foré will be working as part of an executive board, which will be made up of majority shareholder Zdenek Bakala and Auret Van Zyl, who has for a long time been the team’s legal counsel and brings a wealth of experience from within the cycling industry. Lefevere will also be part of the new structure as an honorary board member. The board’s focus will be on evolving the team’s strategy going forewords.
Patrick Lefevere founded Soudal Quick-Step in 2003, combining his insight of the sport of cycling with a knowledge of economics and business that he picked up as an accountant, to build what was to become the most successful team in professional cycling. Under Lefevere’s stewardship the team has reached almost 1000 victories, which includes 22 Monuments, 1 Grand Tour and 124 Grand Tour stages, 3 Olympic gold medals, 19 World Championship golds, and 4 European Championships, as well as countless other races.
More than just the eye-catching results, Lefevere fostered a family feel and loyalty base within the team, which is almost unique within a sport of such a transient nature. The team earned the moniker of ‘The Wolfpack’ as they are famed for its team spirit and willing to race as a collective, who were prepared to go in to battle for each other. The atmosphere within in the team is demonstrated when examining the team’s staff list, many of whom have been loyal to the team since the very early days of its existence.
Speaking of the changes, Soudal Quick-Step majority shareholder Mr Zdenek Bakala said: “I would like to start by thanking Patrick for his dedication and passion in making Soudal Quick-Step the team it is today. Patrick has often spoken of the hard work of his staff and the riders, but that is fostered by the figure head at the top and we should not underestimate the way Patrick has built a culture that allows those riders and staff to thrive. However, we know that at some point all things change and we feel that this is the right time to make these structural changes to our team’s management, which have been made with the agreement of all parties. With this transition I demonstrate my commitment to the long-term future of the team and ensuring a bright future for Soudal Quick-Step.”
Outgoing CEO Patrick Lefevere said: “It is a life changing moment to leave a role that I have committed so much of my life to. Cycling is a sport that I am still deeply passionate about, and it has been a great honour to head up this beautiful team and make so many special memories. But I felt that it was the right moment for this change. When I started to work with Jurgen one year ago, it was with a view to smoothing out the transition for when I would eventually leave. I have seen how his relationships with our sponsors and partners, as well as the team’s internal stakeholders has grown over the last 12 months, and I know that with Jurgen taking over as CEO and with the board’s backing, that this team has a bright future. There are countless people that I need to thank, far too many to mention individually, but there are of course my family, the team’s talented riders, our dedicated staff, our loyal sponsors, all of which is backed by the generosity and support of our team owner Mr. Zdenek Bakala.”
New Soudal Quick-Step CEO Jurgen Foré said: “I am extremely proud to take over as CEO of this historic team. Patrick Lefevere has been a figurehead in professional cycling, who all have great respect and admiration for. He has been able to build a firm base and stability that has seen this team grow for over two decades. I would like to personally thank him for the support that he has given me over the past 12 months since I joined the team. I understand and feel how special this organisation is, and I will do everything in my power to take care of it. I will now look to lead this team, working towards securing its long-term future. I have been involved in cycling in several roles and as part of the team’s management and I am confident that by combining this with my experience in business, it will allow me to build a structure that can take Soudal Quick-Step from strength to strength.”
Patrick Lefevere to step down:
A New Bike for Tadej Pogačar?
Colnago Y1Rs: Built to Defy Wind
A new benchmark for performance: Colnago introduces a cutting-edge aero bike designed to dominate in speed and efficiency.
Colnago unveils the Y1Rs, a bicycle engineered to redefine aerodynamics in professional cycling. Developed in close collaboration with Politecnico di Milano and Khalifa University, the Y1Rs represents a leap forward in design and technology, offering riders a bike built to meet the highest speed and precision demands.
Key Features and Innovations
CC.Y1 Handlebars with WYND Technology
The CC.Y1 handlebars are a centrepiece of the Y1Rs’s aerodynamic advancements. Incorporating WYND technology, the handlebar design features a distinctive Y-shaped profile inspired by aeronautical and motorsport engineering. The horizontal bars are raised and detached from the central body of the headset, creating a ‘gull wing’ shape that minimises turbulence in the frontal area.
- Aerodynamic Gains: The WYND design reduces flow detachment and drag, allowing for smoother airflow across the handlebars and cockpit.
- Stiffness: Built with a custom carbon layup, the CC.Y1 handlebars are 16% stiffer than leading competitors, ensuring no loss of power during sprints.
- Integration: Fully compliant with UCI regulations, the handlebars are seamlessly integrated with the spacers and fork, enhancing overall aerodynamics without compromising vertical or lateral stiffness.
DEFY Seatpost Joint
The seatpost joint introduces a novel design that optimises both aerodynamic performance and rider comfort.
- Innovative Dual-Y Structure: The joint features two interlocking Y-shaped elements that allow the seatpost to align perfectly with the seat tube while following the contour of the rear wheel. This design reduces drag in a critical airflow zone.
- Vertical Compliance: The increased angle of the seatpost allows for enhanced shock absorption without affecting peddling stiffness. This ensures a smoother ride on long stages or during breakaways.
- Comfort and Efficiency: Despite the frame’s high stiffness, the DEFY joint provides compliance that reduces fatigue during extended efforts.
Curved Downtube and Integrated Bottle Cages
The downtube of the Y1Rs is meticulously designed to optimise airflow while maintaining
structural integrity.
- Shape Optimisation: The top section of the downtube closely follows the curvature of the front wheel, reducing drag caused by wheel interaction. The lower section straightens out to balance aerodynamic efficiency with frame stiffness.
- Custom Bottle Cages: Standard bottles disrupt airflow, but Colnago’s integrated bottle cages are designed to align with the downtube, minimising aerodynamic loss while maintaining practicality by being compatible with standard round-shaped bottles.
Aerodynamic Studies and CFD Optimisation
To achieve the Y1Rs’s advanced aerodynamic performance, Colnago developed a highly accurate CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano and Khalifa University.
- Enhanced CFD Model: Traditional CFD methods often oversimplify airflow conditions, leading to inaccuracies. Colnago refined its model through real-world pressure mapping, drilling 70 strategically placed holes in prototype frames to gather precise airflow data.
- 3D Printing for Prototyping: Rapid prototyping with 3D printing allowed for iterative testing and design modifications, ensuring that the CFD model accurately represented real-world conditions.
- Real-World Validation: The data collected was used to refine the aerodynamic shape of the frame, resulting in a model twice as accurate as standard industry practices (average error reduced from 30% to 15%).
This meticulous approach allowed Colnago to optimise every component, from tube profiles to
the positioning of the handlebars and bottle cages, ensuring seamless integration and
aerodynamic efficiency.
Aerodynamic Results – better than the best.
The Y1Rs delivers unparalleled aerodynamic efficiency, validated through extensive wind tunnel testing.
- Power Savings: Compared to the V4Rs, the Y1Rs requires 20 watts less power to maintain a speed of 50 km/h in real-world racing setups.
- Wind Tunnel Testing: In tests with a fully-equipped racing mannequin, the Y1Rs outperformed the best aero competitors in the World Tour across all yaw angles, particularly excelling in crosswind conditions.
- Reduced Drag: The Y1Rs’s optimised profiles and minimised frontal area contribute to a 19% reduction in drag compared to its predecessor. Stiffness and Weight – a bike for sprinting and breaking away while achieving aerodynamic excellence, the Y1Rs maintains exceptional stiffness and competitive weight.
- Stiffness: Colnago proprietary Real Riding Stiffness (RRS) tests show a 3.5% improvement in sprinting stiffness compared to the V4Rs. This ensures maximum power transfer during high-intensity efforts.
- Weight: The ready-to-paint frame weighs 965g, with a complete frame-kit weight of 1,415g. While not the lightest in Colnago’s lineup, the balance of stiffness and aerodynamics makes it ideal for riders focused on speed and efficiency.
A size M in UAE Team Emirates’ configuration, fully assembled with pedals, weighs 7.51 kgs.
- Website: www.colnago.com.
UAE Team Emirates Welcomes SHIMANO as Official Technical Partner
Team set to race with top-of-the-line DURA-ACE components until 2028
UAE Team Emirates and its partner team in the UCI Women’s Tour, UAE Team ADQ, will use Shimano’s cutting-edge products, including its DURA-ACE Di2 wireless groupset, providing the teams with the most advanced shifting and braking experience.
Mauro Gianetti, Team Principal & CEO, UAE Team Emirates said: “We are very proud and excited to begin this partnership with Shimano. We are an innovative team and always looking to be at the forefront with our equipment. To compete at the highest level you need to be using the best materials and combining our expertise in cycling together I feel we can go on to achieve great things over the coming years.”
In competitive racing environments, where every millisecond matters, and circumstances can change in the blink of an eye, Shimano’s components will provide the UAE teams with the lightning-fast, accurate, and reliable shifting performance that is needed to compete at the highest levels.
Yuzo Shimano, Executive Officer, Vice President, Bike Planning Department, Shimano said: “Our four-year partnership with UAE Team Emirates represents a long-term commitment to technological innovation. We are engineering a comprehensive performance solution that will drive cycling technology forward for the foreseeable future.”
Shimano’s Di2 electronic gear shifting integration and advanced braking technologies have already played a pivotal role in the team’s most memorable races over the last several seasons, including over 80 wins, across Grand Tours, One-Day Classics and many other General Classification races in 2024.
Whether you are a professional racer or weekend enthusiast, this partnership is a testament to human performance and to the relentless pursuit of excellence.
Soudal Quick-Step Back in Calpe
Our team has returned to Spain this week for the first training camp of the winter, with the stunning Suitopia Sol y Mar Hotel serving as the squad’s headquarters between 9-20 December.
A total of 29 riders – including newcomers Pascal Eenkhoorn, Ethan Hayter, Gianmarco Garofoli, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Andrea Raccagni, Maximilian Schachmann and Dries Van Gestel – are present there to lay the foundations of the team’s 23rd consecutive season in the pro peloton.
Soudal Quick-Step heads into the winter after what has been an impressive 2024 campaign – which netted 34 UCI victories – and will be keen to work towards what we all hope will be another successful season. The get-together in Calpe will be the only opportunity for the members of the Wolfpack to spend time together ahead of next year, and outline the calendar and goals for 2025, a season which we will get underway in about six weeks, at the Tour Down Under.
We have held our winter training camps at Suitopia Sol y Mar Hotel for a number of years, with the hotel offering us premium facilities that are perfect for our team’s needs from both a sporting and commercial point of view, with the province of Alicante putting on the table varied training terrains for our riders.
“It is always a special time to get all our riders together. As well as several days of commercial activities for our sponsors, we have some physical tests and then some real training scheduled on the roads of southern Spain. But more than anything, it is a chance for our riders and staff to build a bond in preparation for the 2025 season”, said Soudal Quick-Step trainer Koen Pelgrim.
Absent from the team reunion is double Olympic Champion Remco Evenepoel, who underwent surgery last week following the training incident in which he was involved and will now take some time off the bike.
Decathlon AG2R has a New Sprint Bike and Other Equipment
Bike sponsor, Van Rysel presented several new products at the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team presentation. The main partner of the French WorldTeam, Decathlon AG2R has a new bike for the 2025 season and, as equipment sponsor, also has extra fast helmets and other equipment.
This is a new step in the development of the team, which rode BMC bikes until 2023. It was only when Decathlon committed itself as the team’s new main sponsor from 2024 that the switch to Van Rysel bikes was made. Since the brand had previously made bikes for recreational cyclists, the transition was a big step. But the team won thirty races in the first year with the new bikes.
“It was a big challenge to show people that we could win at the highest level with our products,” explained Nicolas Pierron of Van Rysel, about his first year with the team. “We continue to work every day in the wind tunnel to try to gain watts with our models. That is why our latest model also has new aero lines and other innovations, which make the bikes even faster.”
Last year, the Decathlon AG2R team rode the Van Rysel RCR, which was used in normal road races, and the Van Rysel XCR, which was used for time trials. Now they have added the Van Rysel RCR-F. “It is a complete aero bike,” said Pierron. The F in the name stands for Fast.
“That was necessary because we want to offer our riders the ideal bike for every situation. We had to become even faster on the flat and in the mass sprints, and with this we have gained another 13 watts or 7% in that area compared to the RCR. Riders such as Oliver Naesen, Sam Bennett, Dries De Bondt, Benoît Cosnefroy, Paul Lapeira and Pierre Gautherat also helped develop this model. Together with our engineers and industrial partners.”
In addition, Van Rysel will also supply all the helmets, sunglasses and other rider equipment from 2025. The helmets are also specified for riding on the flat, in a time trial or uphill. Van Rysel has been working on the new ‘ultra-high-performance’ jerseys for more than a year. Tests with the riders have shown that they can gain up to 20 watts.
The new Van Rysel RCR-F:
2025 Critérium du Dauphiné: Montluçon to Host the Opener
Several prestigious races have called at Montluçon since Eugène Christophe won the 1925 Circuit du Bourbonnais there a century ago. Wout van Aert, who wore the yellow jersey of the Tour de France much more recently, claimed a time trial and vaulted into the overall lead there in the 2022 Paris–Nice. Last year, Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, located a bit further east but still within the Allier department, hosted the inaugural stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, with Mads Pedersen emerging victorious from a bunch sprint.
Both these riders will have a legitimate shot at wearing the leader’s jersey if they throw their hats into the ring, but the circumstances would be rather different. Gilles Maignan is the mastermind behind the course from Domérat and Montluçon, which is a world apart from the 13 km that separated the two towns in the time trial at the Race to the Sun: “This time round, the course stretches for 189 kilometres. It consists of a wide loop around the department, followed by two laps of a circuit about 30 kilometres long”. A mass sprint remains a distinct possibility, but the former French national time trial champion reckons that “the climbs near the finish could also provide a launch pad for aggressive riders, especially the Côte de Buffon, which is not too long but has an average gradient of 9% and comes less than 5 kilometres from the finish”. These will be the opening moves in a battle set to continue the next morning when the peloton rolls out of Prémihat towards a destination to be confirmed. The finish of stage 2 and the traditional mountainous terrain where the week-long race will culminate will be unveiled at the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Council building on 29 January.
Key points:
- The 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné is returning to Allier, the same department where the show got on the road in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule last season. The opening stage will take place in the Montluçon Communauté agglomeration community and take the field on a 189 km romp from Domérat to downtown Montluçon.
- Come 8 June, the sprinters will have to hang on for dear life on the climbs on the final circuit to remain in contention for the mad dash to the line.
2025 Critérium du Dauphiné stage 1:
Tro Bro Leon: By the Bull’s Horn
This will be the second year in a row that a national champion stars in the poster that sets the Tro Bro Leon apart from other pro cycling races. After the local hero Valentin Madouas, who appeared in the tricolore jersey in 2024, the focus is now on the reigning Belgian champion, Arnaud De Lie, who overcame two punctures at the worst possible time to take the spoils on 5 May last year. Jean-Paul Mellouët based his work of art on a photo of the Walloon rider crossing the finish line in northern Finistère, but with the colour scheme of his jersey swapped for the black, yellow and red of his national flag. De Lie has sported these colours since late June, when he out-sprinted Jasper Philipsen, Jordi Meeus, Thibau Nys, Wout van Aert and Tim Merlier for victory in a finale that went down in the annals of Belgian cycling!
After letting his raw speed do the talking in Lannilis against the French duo of Clément Venturini and Pierre Gautherat, De Lie raised his hands to mimic the horns of a bull, which has been his signature celebration since he started racking up one pro win after another. The gesture has become popular among O15 riders worldwide. De Lie is known as the Bull of Lescheret, referencing the village in the Belgian province of Luxembourg where he was raised on the family farm. The nickname has made him wildly popular in Brittany, which also has a strong rural flavour. Young farmers, who have traditionally awarded a pig to the top-ranked regional rider in Tro Bro Leon, have started making tarps decorated with the image of a bull and the words Allez De Lie —”Come on, De Lie”. Frederik Backaert, a farmer who moonlighted as a cyclist and came in second at the 2017 Tro Bro Leon, was also the subject of one of Mellouët’s posters. After hanging up his bicycle, he took over the family farm in Michelbeke, in the Flemish Ardennes, where the race organiser from Lannilis is always welcome.
De Lie the first Belgian victor since Jo Planckaert
As prestigious as Tro Bro Leon is in Belgium, no Red Devil managed to win it between Jo Planckaert, who claimed the first edition of the race open to pro riders in 2000, and Arnaud De Lie. “We’d been looking forward to this for a long time”, chirps Mellouët, who has often prioritised issuing wild cards to Belgian outfits, some of which have since bloomed, such as Intermarché–Wanty, which counted Backaert among its ranks.
This is not the first time that De Lie stars on a poster. The organisers of the Famenne Ardenne Classic had earlier commissioned Mellouët to draw a similar work for the 2024 edition of their race. This one depicted the local hero gallantly defending the Walloon rooster sword in hand, evoking the portrait of Madouas as a swashbuckling Breton buccaneer. One week before Tro Bro Leon, De Lie emerged victorious from his regional race, which was also his return to competition after Lyme disease played havoc with the first part of his season. The two 6 × 2.5 m posters took pride of place in the Lannilis multi-purpose hall, where the Tro Bro Leon riders are presented to locals before kig ha farz, a speciality from the Pays du Leon, north of Brest and west of Morlaix. Arnaud De Lie made sure to come and see them and beamed as he gave Mellouët the go-ahead to draw a poster of him for the 2025 Tro Bro Leon at the start of Paris–Tours.
“Pictures age better than photos”, stressed the artist. The moral of the fortieth edition is that the bull, which has taken a detour through the Pays Léonard, prevailed over the pig, which now flies over the pack.
Key points:
- The founder of the race, Jean-Paul Mellouët, unveiled the annual poster with five months to go until the 41st edition of Tro Bro Leon, scheduled for 11 May. Unsurprisingly, it features the 2024 winner, Arnaud De Lie, who went on to take the Belgian national championship.
- A separate poster will be created for the Tro Bro Leon Challenge avec Giant and its gravel version, for which pre-registration is open at timeto.com.
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