Daily News

Tour de Langkawi sprint fest gets underway with win for Astana's Malucelli

The Tour de Langkawi is an autumn stage race that, with its eight stages and seven flat finishes, is a perfect opportunity for sprinters and puncheurs looking for some late-season success – like the pre-retirement Alexander Kristoff who is two wins from the century.

Stage 1 kicked things off on Sunday morning with a short and sharp 96.7-kilometre stage culminating in a bunch sprint. Matteo Malucelli (XDS-Astana) was first across the line for his third win of the season, with Erlend Blikra second – he and fifth-place Kristoff collecting a bagful of UCI points for Uno-X Mobility, a team on the verge of promotion – and Arvid De Kleijn (Tudor) third.

Israel-Premier Tech removed from Giro dell'Emilia startlist

Following reports earlier this week that the Giro dell'Emilia organiser and local authority sought to eject Israel-Premier Tech from the Italian one-day race, it has now been revealed that the ProTeam has been removed from the startlist.

In the run-up to the hilly warm-up to the season's final Monument, Il Lombardia, local action groups announced their intention to launch protests, blocking the Giro dell-Emilia from continuing if Israel-Premier Tech was present. As a second-tier race, the organisers are not obliged to invite the team – at WorldTour level, the top-two ProTeams are automatically afforded a spot, like all WorldTeams.

"We made that decision in order to guarantee public safety," said Adriano Amici, chairman of the Giro dell'Emilia organisation. "The atmosphere is very tense, putting both Israel-Premier Tech and other riders at risk. We do not want to run the risk of our race being disrupted. It is not a decision from a sporting point of view, but because we had no other choice."

Skjelmose on new teammate-cum-rival Ayuso: 'I don't think they brought him in as a domestique'

It was finally confirmed earlier this week that Juan Ayuso has signed with Lidl-Trek from 2026 through 2030, breaking contract with current team UAE Team Emirates-XRG with whom he was due to race another three years. While the move has been fairly long-rumoured, teammate Mattias Skjelmose was still caught a little by surprise.

“It was a bit of a strange situation," Skjelmose told Danish outlet TV 2 from Kigali, Rwanda. "I heard it pretty early without the team telling me. Anyway, it's going to be exciting. A new challenge.

"I'm going to rely on what the team told me [before]. They said they believe in me. I don't know how the arrival of Ayuso connects to that. They've been saying for a few years that they want to build a team around me, but I don't think they brought [Ayuso] in as a domestique."

Lidl-Trek sports director and fellow Dane Kim Andersen has a different perspective, as told to Feltet: "I told Mattias that it is a natural development of the team. I believe in him and he believes in himself. He is ready to go to battle. Other teams also have multiple leaders. It's up to them to show who is the strongest."

Giant files petition to resolve US Customs detention order

Giant Bicycles has filed a petition with the US government to resolve a Withhold Release Order put in place Wednesday by the Customs and Border Patrol agency. The agency issued the order, which effectively prevents Giant from being able to import bicycles and products from Taiwan to the US, over what CBP called "information that reasonably indicates forced labor use" at Giant's Taiwan factory.

Giant said that no shipments are currently being held and that it has already made progress last year in addressing the allegations, which were initially raised in 2024 and again last year in media reports by investigative journalist Peter Bengtsen. Giant's stock price fell to a 15-year low on the news, before rebounding slightly. The news of the interdiction order – and the allegations of forced labor – have been met with shock by the bike industry.

Lorenzo Finn takes U23 World road title

If the U23 men's road race at the World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda is any guide to what we'll see for the elites this weekend, expect aggressive, attritional racing. Lorenzo Finn (Italy) escaped with 6 km to go after cracking the last of his breakaway companions and soloed home for the win, 31 seconds ahead of Switzerland's Jan Huber. Marco Schrettl of Austria followed :45 later for third.

After a series of early attacks, Spanish racer Hector Alvarez kicked off festivities in earnest with a move around 62 km to go in the 164.6 km race, with four laps of the difficult Kigali circuit yet to go. He was joined by a number of others including the eventual podium finishers. Huber made a move at 30 km to go to drop all but Finn, who later did the dropping himself en route to a solo win. Finn also won last year's World Road Championships in the juniors category.

Surly updates the Straggler, goes down to 8 sizes

Surly Straggler, the American brand's do-everything drop-bar bike, has got a refresh. The new model now comes in eight frame sizes, down from 11, and has a revised geometry: higher stack and longer reach, a sloped top tube for easier standover, a lower seat tube for longer droppers and a touch more BB drop. The smaller frame sizes roll on 650b wheels. 

The steel frameset (Surly 4130 ‘Natch’) comes with 12×100 / 12×142 thru-axles, flat-mount brakes, a 44 mm head tube diameter allowing for more fork options, internal dropper routing, and a number of mounts (two standard bottles plus a three-pack, rack/mudguard mounts on the fork).

The Straggler GRX is priced at US$2,499, the Straggler Cues at US$1,999, while framesets go for US$899/£900.

UCI will allow points from other disciplines to count in road team rankings

At its annual UCI Congress held at the sport's Road World Championships this week, the sport's governing body announced a rule change in how road teams' points are calculated that could have the effect of encouraging multidisciplinary competition.

From 2027, the UCI will allow "a limited number of points based on the results obtained by their riders in other disciplines" to count toward their trade teams' ranking on the road. "Results earned by a team’s rider at the UCI World Championships for track, mountain bike cross-country Olympic (XCO), cyclo-cross and gravel, as well as that rider’s results in the overall standings of UCI World Cups for track, XCO and cyclo-cross, will be added to the UCI Road Team Ranking according to a specific points scale," the UCI said in a press release announcing that and other changes.

The exact specifics were not disclosed but the rule would apply to men's pro riders in the top 20 of their team's points ranking and women riders in the top eight of their team's ranking. The points will not count toward a rider's individual road ranking or in the nations rankings. The practical effect of the rule change could be to encourage multi-disciplinary riders to continue to compete outside of the road calendar. In past years, star riders like Lotte Kopecky, Mathieu van der Poel, Cat Ferguson, Tom Pidcock and Blanka Vas have regularly competed on the track and in cyclocross and mountain bike events.

Stéphane Heulot departs Lotto ahead of possible merger with Intermarché-Wanty

Lotto team manager Stéphane Heulot will leave his position with the team after three years, the team said in a press release. Heulot, who took over for John Lelangue after 2022, has presided over the team's run in the second-tier ProTeam division and its likely return to the WorldTour in 2026.

But his departure also comes at a time of heightened uncertainty, as Lotto is said to be exploring a merger with WorldTeam Intermarché-Wanty as both teams face financial stress. Wielerflits reports that the merger talks are continuing, with Lotto set to become the official UCI-recognized paying agent. The practical effect of that would be that Lotto riders' contracts remain in force while Intermarché riders – including 2024 Tour de France triple stage winner Biniam Girmay – would be released and free to seek new deals with the merged team or elsewhere.

Track bike and equipment prices to be capped ahead of 2028 Olympics, UCI rules

The UCI has announced that it will introduce price caps on track bikes and related equipment for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, following the skyrocketing costs seen in Paris 2024.

Cycling’s governing body says the move will “reinforce the integrity of competitions by preventing excessive cost barriers,” though exact limits and enforcement mechanisms are yet to be revealed. From 1 January 2027, maximum prices will apply to framesets, forks, wheels, handlebars and extensions, helmets, and skinsuits.

The decision is claimed to ensure “participants from all nations have fair access to equipment.” Building on existing commercial availability rules requiring Olympic kit to be registered and raced ahead of the Games. The primary reason behind this rule is to allow other nations to inspect or purchase the equipment.

The shift comes after the cost of track bikes soared in Paris. Japan’s V-IZU TCM2 topped the price list at a staggering €126,555, while Italy’s 3D-printed Pinarello MOST extensions were €22,500. Only three years prior, at the Tokyo games, the most expensive bike was the Worx WX-R Vorteq Track used by the Malaysian cycling team, costing €28,000.

With price caps looming and radical designs like Hope's HB.T facing regulatory hurdles, federations and manufacturers will be forced back to the drawing board to balance performance with cost. The implications this will have on the racing itself will only become apparent in time.

RockShox’s new longer-travel Rudy XL gravel suspension fork

RockShox just announced a new gravel suspension fork that’s sure to steer a new range of more capable and rowdier gravel bikes. The new Rudy XL bumps the travel up to 50 or 60 mm, with 700 x 56 mm tyre clearance (29 x 2.2in). By contrast, the pre-existing (and continuing) Rudy XPLR fork offers 30 or 40 mm travel options with 50 mm of tyre clearance.

RockShox will offer the fork in a premium Ultimate version (US$930) with its Race Day 2 damper and fork-mounted lockout knob. There's also a more affordable Rudy XL (price TBC) with a simpler damper without the lockout. Both versions feature 30 mm diameter stanchions, a 100 x 12 mm thru-axle, and flat-mount brake compatibility. 

That increased travel will be best suited to a bike designed around the notably taller axle-to-crown height, which sits at 470 mm for the 60 mm travel version. By contrast, most 40 mm gravel suspension forks are nearer to 430-435 mm in axle-to-crown, while some popular 100 mm mountain bike forks will be closer to 500-505 mm. 

Matej Mohorič extends one year with Bahrain Victorious

Of the group of riders without contract after 2025, former Milan-San Remo and Tour de France stage winner Matej Mohorič was among the most prominent, and his future remained uncertain until late in the season. But the 31-year-old Slovenian is not done in the WorldTour yet. Wielerflits reports that Mohorič has inked a one-year extension with Bahrain Victorious, keeping him with the team he's called home since the 2018 season. [Wielerflits]

Australia wins Worlds Relay TT

A strong Australian contingent took a nail-biter of a win in Wednesday's World Championship Mixed Relay Time Trial event. The six-rider team of Brodie Chapman, Luke Plapp, Amanda Spratt, Michael Matthews, Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, and ITT silver medalist Jay Vine rode a time of 54:30 on the 41.8 km course in Kigali, Rwanda to take a narrow five-second win over France. The Swiss team was third, :10 back of Australia; the gap to Italy in fourth was, comparatively, a yawning 1:24 to the winning Aussie squad.

The win was Australia's second in a row in the event, albeit with a slightly different lineup. Chapman, Vine and Matthews were all holdovers from the victorious 2024 team, but the Aussies had to overcome a major switch: the departure of retired Olympic and World ITT champion Grace Brown.

Wolf Tooth launches T47 external bottom brackets

Adding to its lineup of in-house machined bottom brackets, which currently include BSA and T47 internal standards, today Wolf Tooth has announced an external T47 model. These new bottom brackets fit a variety of crankset spindles (24mm, 29mm DUB, and 30mm), feature adjustable-width sleeves, and can be installed with standard tools.

Wolf Tooth claims its "ground-up" bottom bracket design has best in class sealing and won't ever creak. Reportedly thanks to multiple seals and O-rings, the components are protected from the elements while custom spindle bushings eliminate metal-on-metal contact between the bearing inner race and crank spindle (which can lead to creaking).

Available in four anodized colors, the T47 bottom brackets cost $US140.

Report: Summit finish planned for stage 3 of the 2026 TdF

The 2026 men's Tour de France could get an early start on the climbing, reports radio network France Bleu. The official route presentation is October 23, one month from today, but France Bleu affiliate ICI Occitanie quoted a local official as saying that it is "99% certain" that the third stage will finish at the Pla de Mir ski resort.

That would mark the earliest ever summit finish for the Tour, and it would likely be a consequential one as the resort is at 1,800 meters above sea level. The 2026 men's Tour is due to start in Barcelona, Spain, but recently the UCI and the Spanish government have been at odds over pro-Palestinian protests that disrupted the recent Vuelta a España. The Spanish government has voiced support for the protests, while the UCI has strongly condemned the government's stance and said it "calls into question Spain's ability to host major international sporting events," which could affect the Grand Depart. [France Bleu]

Ghekiere will DNS Worlds due to recent crash, reducing Belgian team further

Justine Ghekiere is out of the Road World Championships in Rwanda after a high-speed crash at a race last week left her with more serious injuries than initially anticipated. A formidable climber, Ghekiere is the current Belgian national champion and was expected to play a key role on the hilly Kigali course. But a 60 km/h crash at the Grand Prix Stuttgart and Region race left her with severe road rash from which she has not yet recovered.

Her DNS, along with two-time World Champion Lotte Kopecky's decision not to defend her title, leaves the Belgian team with just three confirmed riders for Saturday's road race: Marieke Meert, Julie Van De Velde, and Margot Vanpachtenbeke.

Lezyne launches rear-radar light system

Lezyne has launched the Radar React System: a rear-facing radar light that can ping alerts to a compatible Lezyne front light, so you don't need a head unit to receive alerts of vehicles approaching. The Radar Drive rear can also run on its own via Lezyne's Radar Ally app or paired with a compatible cycling computer.

Lezyne says the radar spots vehicles up to 150 m away, and has seven light modes, including a quick-flash alert when a car approaches, with a claimed 300-lumen max and up to 20 hours of runtime.

The pieces are sold separately or as a bundle. The Radar Drive rear is priced at £170 / US$180 / €170 and the React Drive front goes for £100 / US$125 / €120, or you can get the "system" for £250 / US$280 / €260.

We've got a set on the way and will stack it up against the rear radars from our recent group test.

Gardner, Burke win first Everesting World Championships

Some of the world's most indomitable climbers descended on Sicily's Mount Etna on Sunday for the inaugural Everesting World Championship. Competitors contending for the first-time title would have to be the fastest to climb 8,848 meters up the active volcano – that's seven trips up the 23 km-long ascent, totaling almost 300 km of distance (161 km of climbing and 138 km of descent).

Illi Gardner, who holds the top two fastest women's Everesting times in the world – 8:03:29 and 8:33:47, added the coveted climbing title to her impressive list of crowns. The UK-based grimpeur completed the challenge in 8:28:40, almost 90 minutes ahead of her closest rival, Germany's Annette Griner (9:57:15), while claiming the highly contested Mount Etna QOM in the process.

Canada's Jack Burke, who currently holds the Alpe d'Huez and Mortirolo KOMs, claimed the inaugural men's title in a time of 7:30:52 over Australian ultra-cyclist Jack Thompson (8:23:24). Escape Collective's Ronan Mc Laughlin's World Record time of 6:40:54 set in 2021 on Ireland's Mamore Gap is safe for another day.

Stephens, Lange win US gravel national titles

Lauren Stephens has never lost a national gravel championship. In two prior editions, the Aegis Cycling rider powered to the win, and kept her streak alive over the weekend when she rode away from Sarah Lange to take a third straight victory on a hilly course in La Crescent, Minnesota. Lauren De Crescenzo rounded out the podium.

In the elite men's race, an early and dangerous breakaway was out front when Bradyn Lange (Pinarello-Orange Seal) joined a chase with reigning national champion Brennan Wertz (Scott/Skipstone), catching on after a crash in the lead group disrupted momentum. Several other chasers including Alexey Vermeulen (Enve) made contact before Lange slipped away late in a flurry of attacks and counters to take the win. Michael Garrison and Cole Davis (Project Echelon) took second and third, respectively.

Evenepoel loses Worlds teammate as Benoot falls ill

Remco Evenepoel already has one World Championship in the books after his dominant ride in Sunday's elite time trial race. But his bid for a double rainbow jersey with a win in next Sunday's road race took a slight hit Monday with news that teammate Tiesj Benoot is out with illness.

Benoot, one of the most experienced support riders in the sport and a veteran of seven World Championship events, is fighting an undisclosed illness but has already been ruled out of Sunday's race. Belgian national team coach Serge Pauwels has called up Louis Vervaeke as a replacement. Even without Benoot, Belgium has one the largest and deepest squads in Rwanda, with Evenepoel supported by Victor Campenaerts, Quentin Hermans, Florian Vermeersch, Cian Uijtdebroeks, Xandro Meurisse and time trial bronze medalist Ilan Van Wilder, now joined by Vervaeke.

McNulty delivers UAE Team's record-breaking 86th win with Luxembourg GC, as Grégoire wins final stage

While final stage honours at the Tour de Luxembourg went to Romain Grégoire after a late attacking move with Ben Healy, the big win of the day went to Brandon McNulty who secured the overall title off the back of second in the stage 4 ITT.

As McNulty takes his fourth win of the season, he's also secured UAE Team Emirates-XRG's 86th victory of 2025, helping the squad to break the record his GP Montréal triumph equalled. Until one week ago, the record for wins in one season was held by Team Colombia-HTC in 2009 (featuring André Greipel, Mark Cavendish, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Tony Martin and Mick Rogers, all at or near the peak of their powers).

Until 2024, the closest anyone had come to Colombia-HTC's total was Quick-Step in 2018 with 73, but then UAE Team Emirates came along and blitzed the calendar two years in a row. Last season, Pogačar's 25 wins led the team to a total of 81, which many thought might be the closest they'd come, but the whole squad came roaring back in 2025 to rack up the wins – Pogačar has only taken 16 of their 86 (so far).

Paul Double takes Queen Stage and GC victory at Tour of Slovakia

Jayco-AlUla's Paul Double won stage 5 of the Tour of Slovakia, out-climbing Visma-Lease a Bike duo Bart Lemmen and Thomas Gloag by 30 seconds after a gritty finale.

Double's Queen Stage win also brings the young Brit his first GC win, Lemmen and Gloag joining him on the final podium. Such was the steady gradient of the finishing climb that further down the finishing order, rouleurs and classics specialists can be found, including Unibet Tietema Rockets' Lukáš Kubiš in 10th, making the Slovakian national champion the most consistent rider of the week after four runner-up finishes in a row to Paul Magnier, ultimately finishing sixth overall.

Stage 5 top 5

1. Paul Double (Jayco-AlUla) 2:58:31
2. Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a Bike) +0:30
3. Thomas Gloag (Visma-Lease a Bike) +0:34
4. Felix Engelhardt (Jayco-AlUla) +0:41
5. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) +0:50

Final GC top 5

1. Paul Double (Jayco-AlUla) 18:12:22
2. Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a Bike) +0:33
3. Thomas Gloag (Visma-Lease a Bike) +0:35
4. Felix Engelhardt (Jayco-AlUla) +0:51
5. Cian Ujtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1:00

Lotto-Intermarché merger could provide 'the best of both worlds', says De Lie

Arnaud De Lie has surged back to winning ways in the past month, including at the WorldTour one-day Bretagne Classic, and this week's GP Wallonie and Super 8 Classic on home soil. But behind the scenes, he and his teammates are waiting to hear any news on the potential merger between Lotto, currently a ProTeam, and WorldTeam Intermarché-Wanty, for which talks have been ongoing since early summer.

"It's hard to say anything about it, but if we get the best of both worlds from the two teams coming together, then that's something super good,” De Lie told WielerFlits. “But we'll see. I'm a cyclist, I only ride my bike.”

Reports during the Tour indicated that "an agreement in principle" had been reached for the teams to merge, with Lotto the 'paying agent', which, put very simply, means that while Lotto's rider contracts will hold, all those at Intermarché-Wanty may have a late-season scramble for a new team on their hands.

Whatever happens, Lotto is destined for the WorldTour in 2026. And should the merger happen, space will also be made for the 19th-ranked team at the end of 2025, a position that's being fought over tooth and nail by Cofidis and Uno-X Mobility.

Reusser's Worlds prep has been less than ideal, but 'even at 95%, I'm a very good cyclist'

Marlen Reusser is among the favourites for this weekend's challenging ITT at the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda. However, the Movistar leader has not raced since she dropped out of the Tour de France avec Zwift during stage 1 while still struggling with symptoms of food poisoning.

"As soon as I was on the bike, I saw stars. That's why I went home," Reusser said of her withdrawal from the Tour, which came just weeks after diarrhoea impacted her Giro. "It was the right decision; otherwise, I would have been completely destroyed. It was just bad luck."

The Swiss star is historically a magnificent time trialist, she's won both the TTs raced this season, but yet another illness has interfered with her preparation for the Rwanda Worlds.

"As soon as I'd recovered and started training again, Hendrik [her partner, ed.] caught the flu, which also affected me," Reusser continued, describing her post-Tour experience. "I probably hadn't even fully recovered yet. That's why I was back in bed in August. Anyway, even at 95 per cent, I'm a very good cyclist. I'd prefer it to be different, but I'm not throwing in the towel just yet."

De Lie topples Brennan and Meeus at Super 8 Classic

Arnaud De Lie's late season surge is still trending in the right direction, thoroughly putting his unhappy spring behind him, with victory from a reduced bunch at the 1.Pro Super 8 Classic.

De Lie formed part of an elite selection late in the 201-kilometre mini-classic in the Flemish Brabant, a group that also included Jordi Meeus and formidable Visma-Lease a Bike duo Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan. However, De Lie joined forces with teammate Jenno Berckmoes to help ensure the group would stay clear of the peloton powered by the teams of Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay, setting up a fast and furious finale.

Visma's young sprinter Brenna, the revelation of 2025, proved a tough adversary, pushing De Lie all the way to a photo finish, but the Belgian came out on top. This marks De Lie's sixth win of the season, five of them concentrated in the past month alone.

Brief results

1. Arnaud De Lie (Lotto)
2. Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike)
3. Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe)
4. Ben Swift (Ineos Grenadiers)
5. Mike Teunissen (XDS Astana)

Kopecky draws a line under injury-plagued season, ruling out Track Worlds

Lotte Kopecky has not had a great year. It's not been a complete drought for the reigning Tour of Flanders champ, but lingering injuries have curtailed her results all season. Now, after crashing out on stage 3 of the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche, Kopecky has been forced to end her season before her next big target of the track World Championships in Chile next month.

"It’s more than a week since my crash in Ardèche. A stupid one with some **** consequenses," Kopecky wrote on Instagram, describing the vertebral fracture picked in France. "I had to give it some time to see how quick it may go into the right direction. Unfortunately not as fast a I wanted. It is the most wise decision to definitively end my season, so no more Track Worlds for me."

2025 was meant to be the season when the multiple world champion (track and road) might take yet another step forward, especially in her return to the Tour where she'd finished runner-up to teammate Demi Vollering in 2023, but injuries persistently got in the way.

"Last year, I injured my knee. Back then I just wanted to train ASAP. Which led to setback after setback and in the end running even more behind. So let’s approach this one right. I’ll give myself the time to let my body and the fracture heal properly."

Magnier makes it four in a row at the Tour of Slovakia

Paul Magnier has continued his reign of dominance at the 2.1-ranked Tour of Slovakia with stage 4 victory ahead of Lukáš Kubiš – the Unibet Tietema Rockets sprinter also maintaining a four-day streak of finishing second best.

This most recent stage win brings the young Frenchman's 2025 tally up to 10, and his entire palmarès to 15. It also means he's responsible for 25% of Soudal-QuickStep's combined total this season, only Tim Merlier bettering his young teammate with 14 (at time of writing).

Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, Magnier's tally is sure to be broken on Sunday's stage 5 finale which takes the peloton through three hilly circuits before culminating on the 5.5-kilometre Cat.1 climb to the line.

Evenepoel on the Worlds TT: 'It's the kind of course I like, wide, straight, not technical'

Belgium's Remco Evenepoel is one of the top favourites for the elite men's ITT at the Rwanda World Championships that start this weekend. The twice reigning champ has been previewing the route in Kigali and is feeling optimistic.

"It's the kind of course I like: wide, lots of straight, not technical, a lot of position work," Evenepoel told media in Kigali. "There will also be many tempo changes because it's constantly up and down, which doesn't make it any easier, but in itself I like something like that. You should definitely not exceed the limit in the first part. The most difficult climbs are at the end, where you have to be able to go 'all out' twice more. The last ten minutes will be very intense."

The double Olympic champion is going after a third-straight world title on the challenging 40.6-kilometre course, adding to the wins achieved in Scotland and Switzerland.

"Once you have such a jersey, you don't want to give it away, especially when you know that the course suits you. How many riders have won three times in a row? Two [Michael Rogers and Tony Martin, ed.]. That's a nice challenge: I want to add my name to that list, and put myself above it. It is 'and' and 'and' and 'and'... It would be nice to put down a historic achievement in this place, that would be special."

O Gran Camiño signals it will not invite Israel-Premier Tech in 2026

The organiser of O Gran Camiño has said the race does not intend to invite Israel-Premier Tech to its 2026 edition, making the Galician stage race the first to openly distance itself from the squad as Spanish opposition to the team grows.

Race director Ezequiel Mosquera told Spanish news agency EFE that “any organisation where they competed last year will be asking themselves the same questions we are,” after watching protests derail multiple stages of the Vuelta a España and draw public backing from Spain’s prime minister. Mosquera described the atmosphere at the Vuelta as “extremely tense” and said his own event, which was already targeted by demonstrators earlier this year, must act with “rigour” and “maximum objectivity.”

The move comes despite Israel-Premier Tech’s Derek Gee having won the 2025 edition of O Gran Camiño, held each February in Galicia. The Canadian has since terminated his contract with the team, while Israel-Premier Tech is expected to rejoin the WorldTour in 2026, granting it automatic entry to cycling’s biggest races but leaving its participation in smaller events, including O Gran Camiño, up to organisers. Mosquera added that O Gran Camiño may seek a calendar upgrade to ProSeries level as the UCI finalises its 2026 schedule at the World Championships in Rwanda.

Movistar adds Czech prospect Pavel Novák on three-year deal

Movistar has confirmed the signing of Czech climber Pavel Novák, with the 20-year-old joining the Spanish squad from 2026 through the end of 2028.

Novák is regarded as one of the most promising young talents in European cycling, with strong results in under-23 stage races, including a stage win at the Giro NextGen this year.

UCI confirms GPS tracking for all riders at Rwanda Worlds

The UCI has confirmed it will roll out GPS safety tracking across all races at next week’s Road World Championships in Rwanda (September 21–28), marking the first full implementation of the technology. Every rider in every category will wear a device, with the system designed to alert organisers and medical staff immediately if a rider crashes or stops unexpectedly.

The push comes a year after the death of Swiss rider Muriel Furrer, who went unseen after a crash at the 2024 Worlds. Trials were conducted last month at the Tour de Romandie Féminin, though they ended in controversy when five WorldTour teams – including Visma-Lease a Bike and Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto – were disqualified in a dispute over safety and liability concerns. With national teams replacing trade squads in Rwanda, the UCI expects the rollout to proceed without conflict.

“This initiative is important and necessary progress,” UCI president David Lappartient said. “Thanks to this system, any incident or accident that might have gone unnoticed can be quickly identified, and it will be possible to assist the rider as fast as possible.” The GPS tracking will be monitored in real time from the UCI’s control centre in Kigali, covering road races, time trials, and team events across the week of racing.