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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
There's much to celebrate as cycling takes to Scotland's streets again...but dwindling exposure is cause for concern
For cycling fans in Scotland, these are certainly exciting times to be living in. The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will make its long overdue debut visit north of the Border this weekend. In the 11 years since the star-studded stage race began — growing to become one of the biggest in the UK calendar — it has never before ventured onto Scottish soil. Defying the old adage that lightning doesn't strike twice, Scotland will welcome not one, but two stages of the four-day event. It will also mark the first time that a UCI World Tour race has taken place here. That's a lot of inaugural action and while hugely thrilling, it begs the question: why has it taken so long? And does this, hot on the heels of the recent announcement that Scotland will host both the prestigious Grand Depart of the Tour de France and a stage of the Tour de France Femmes in 2027, mean we are ushering in a new golden era for cycling? The short answer: yes and no. The blunt truth is that cycling, at present, finds itself facing a tricky catch-22. The soaring popularity it has enjoyed since the halcyon summer of 2012 — when Tour de France and Olympic fever caught the public imagination — is under threat big time. The root cause? A major upheaval of broadcasting rights. When Eurosport ceased airing in the UK back in February, its coverage — including key races such as the Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana and Spring Classics — was absorbed into TNT Sports, part of the Discovery+ streaming portfolio. Many aggrieved cycling fans have flooded online forums to say that subsequent price hikes — with monthly subscriptions widely cited as rising from £6.99 to £30.99, a 343-per-cent increase — have meant following their beloved sport is now prohibitively expensive. The Tour de France will be shown exclusively on TNT Sports from next year, with ITV having lost the rights it has held since 2001, bringing an end to free-to-air coverage in the UK. Dwindling exposure isn't good for any sport. With this in mind, there is a strong argument that we need to see high-profile cycling races here in Scotland, in the flesh so to speak, now more than ever. Granted, not everyone agrees. The concept of 'legacy' has become a thorny subject. A Trojan horse in the sense that for every future Olympic or world medallist who talks about a flame being lit watching top cyclists whizzing round the velodrome or racing through the city streets, there are countless others for whom the promised doors simply failed to open. The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games — as well as the 2018 European Championships and 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, both also held in Glasgow — were touted as a platform for Scotland to harness the power of sport to motivate a sedentary nation. That didn't quite come to pass — something which, at this juncture, has been well documented. It isn't enough to merely cite the merits of 'inspiration'. There has to be a tangible trickle-down effect. To that end, there is much to be celebrated in the coup of Scotland hosting two stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women. This is an event that, from its outset in 2014, has championed parity, seeking to level the playing field among male and female cyclists competing at top level. The total pot for the 2025 edition is just shy of 60,000 euros (£50,500). It has carved a stellar reputation for being one of the few races that pays equal prize money — relative to the number of stages — on par with the equivalent men's tour. The event hasn't been without its troubles, though. It was rescued by British Cycling last year after being cancelled in 2023 due to funding issues that saw its original organiser, the now defunct SweetSpot, collapse into liquidation. This year's race will get under way today, with a stage from Dalby Forest to Redcar, followed by Hartlepool to Saltburn-by-the-Sea tomorrow, before heading to Scotland. Stage three on Saturday will traverse the challenging roads of the Scottish Borders, starting and finishing in Kelso, with the fourth and final stage on Sunday a 10-lap circuit around Glasgow city centre. In total, 19 teams and 114 riders will compete — a record field. Among the glittering line-up are a raft of Olympic, world and European medallists, including big guns Lizzie Deignan, Kristen Faulkner, Elisa Balsamo, Anna Henderson and Lorena Wiebes. So, why hasn't Scotland featured in the route until now? Because, even with the best will, putting on a multi-stage cycling race is markedly more complex than sticking a pin in the map and saying: 'Right, let's go there'. It involves an eye-wateringly intricate, multi-tiered structure of logistics and moving parts, not least when it comes to the brass tacks of funding. The latter typically ranges from traditional sponsorships — with brand names emblazoned on rider jerseys and advertising hoardings around the course — to the rather more dull-sounding stakeholder partnerships, relying largely on local councils stumping up money to host stages. All in, this can prove a precarious tightrope balancing act, one which the parable of the erstwhile SweetSpot serves as stark testament to. Let's swivel the spotlight to Scotland's current crop of cycling talent. There will certainly be some names to watch in the mix at the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, with a strong contingent from Handsling Alba Development Road Team. They include Glaswegian Kate Richardson, who claimed her first UCI win and overall victory at the Tour de Feminin in May, and Lasswade native Lauren Dickson, who will race fresh from her podium finish against a world-class field at the Tour of Norway last weekend. This impressive clutch of results are among several dazzling performances from Handsling Alba which, as the first-ever women's UCI Continental team based out of Scotland, is determinedly blazing a trail on the international scene. Over the past decade or so, it has been predominantly track cycling medal hauls that have elevated homegrown stars — from Sir Chris Hoy to Katie Archibald — to household names. Interestingly, though, it is in road racing that a new generation of Scots riders are gaining a foothold. Among them is Erin Boothman from Netherlee, East Renfrewshire. She lit up the boards at the 2024 UCI Junior Track World Championships, with gold in the team pursuit and Madison, yet is also proving a head-turning prospect on the road, finishing first at Gent-Wevelgem Women Juniors in May. Making ripples among the men's WorldTour peloton is Kelso rider Oscar Onley, who races for Team Picnic-PostNL and made his Tour de France debut last year. His Edinburgh-born team-mate Sean Flynn competed in the 2023 Vuelta a Espana. Callum Thornley, who hails from Peebles, is part of the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies squad. His team have confirmed that from 2026, he too will make the leap to the big leagues, stepping up to race in the WorldTour. Given this burgeoning momentum, it strikes me as a tad short-sighted that there will be no road cycling at the slimmed-down Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games next summer, removed from the programme due to what has been stated as 'cost-cutting measures'. Talk about poking a stick in the spokes of budding success.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Germany's Degenkolb hopes to make cycling comeback in fall
German cyclist John Degenkolb from Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL takes part in the rider presentation, during the UCI WorldTour. Arne Dedert/dpa German cyclist John Degenkolb hopes to return to action at the end of the season after suffering multiple fractures in a heavy crash at the Tour of Flanders in April. "I fractured several bones in this crash, in my wrist, forearm, elbow and collarbone. Unfortunately, everything that could break, did break," the former Paris-Roubaix champion told broadcasters Eurosport. Advertisement Degenkolb was involved in a mass crash little over halfway through the 269 kilometres race in Belgium. The complexity of the injuries on his right side and the overall situation are more difficult than after the horrific accident in 2016, when he was hit by a car with a training group from his team in Spain. But the German is not thinking about retirement. "For me personally, it's very motivating that I never got to the point where I said: 'That's it.' It's my big goal, my big wish to race again. "Next year I will hopefully be at the starting line for the Paris-Roubaix again," he said. Degenkolb, 36, won Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo in 2015 and has stage wins at all three grand tours, the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana.
Japan Today
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
Cycling star Pogačar wins Liège–Bastogne–Liège for third time; Kim Le Court takes women's race
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Team Emirates URG team crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) cycling By JEROME PUGMIRE Cycling star Tadej Pogačar launched one of his trademark uphill attacks to win the Liège–Bastogne–Liège classic race for the third time on Sunday. The defending champion made his move some 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the end of the undulating 252-kilometer (156-mile) trek to open up a gap of 10 seconds at the top, and then kept increasing it all the way to the line. It was his third victory overall at the spring classic race, which is also one of the five 'monuments' in one-day cycling along with Paris-Roubaix on the cobbles, the Tour of Lombardy, Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders. Pogačar now has nine 'monument' victories. He was so far ahead Sunday that he even had time to turn and smile at the roadside camera filming him, then touched hands with fans near the finish before raising his arms in the air with victory assured. He won in just over six hours and finished 1 minute, 3 seconds ahead of Italian Giulio Ciccone in second and Irishman Ben Healy in third. They contested a sprint to the line. In decent racing conditions, Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates teammates increased the speed at the front of the main pack and the peloton caught a small group of front-runners with 60 kilometers to go, and with the main favorites still in contention. But when Pogačar surged ahead on the Côte de La Redoute climb, no rider could follow him. It was a similar story on Wednesday, when Pogačar launched a trademark uphill attack to win the Flèche Wallonne classic for the second time. The 26-year-old Slovenian will aim to win the showcase Tour de France for the fourth time later this year. It was a disappointing race for two-time champion Remco Evenepoel as the Belgian rider was dropped by Pogačar up the Redoute climb. The two-time Olympic champion could not gain any time back and instead dropped down to finish in 59th place, 3:11 behind Pogačar. Mauritian rider Kim Le Court won the women's race for the first time as four riders contested a sprint finish. The 2023 champion Demi Vollering attacked first but Le Court countered her and then held off Dutchwoman Puck Pieterse, who won the Flèche Wallonne classic on Wednesday. Pieterse finished second ahead of countrywoman Vollering and French rider Cédrine Kerbaol in fourth. The four riders completed the 152.9-kilometer (94.8-mile) route in 4 hours, 15 minutes, 42 seconds. It was the first classics win for the 29-year-old Le Court. Kerbaol broke ahead near the end and led by 14 seconds with 11 kilometers left and threatened to extend her advantage, but Pieterse went after her. World road race champion Lotte Kopecky of Belgium could not follow and cracked in the final climb up Roche-aux-Faucons. But Pieterse, Vollering and Le Court caught Kerbaol with a few kilometers remaining to make it a four-way sprint finish. Kopecky rolled in fifth, 24 seconds behind. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cycling star Pogačar wins Liège–Bastogne–Liège again with another uphill attack
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Team Emirates URG team crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) Cycling star Tadej Pogačar launched one of his trademark uphill attacks to win the Liège–Bastogne–Liège classic race for the third time on Sunday. The defending champion made his move some 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the end of the undulating 252-kilometer (156-mile) trek to open up a gap of 10 seconds at the top, and then kept increasing it all the way to the line. Advertisement It was his third victory overall at the spring classic race, which is also one of the five 'monuments' in one-day cycling along with Paris-Roubaix on the cobbles, the Tour of Lombardy, Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders. Pogačar now has nine 'monument' victories. He was so far ahead Sunday that he even had time to turn and smile at the roadside camera filming him, then touched hands with fans near the finish before raising his arms in the air with victory assured. He won in just over six hours and finished 1 minute, 3 seconds ahead of Italian Giulio Ciccone in second and Irishman Ben Healy in third. They contested a sprint to the line. Advertisement In decent racing conditions, Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates teammates increased the speed at the front of the main pack and the peloton caught a small group of front-runners with 60 kilometers to go, and with the main favorites still in contention. But when Pogačar surged ahead on the Côte de La Redoute climb, no rider could follow him. It was a similar story on Wednesday, when Pogačar launched a trademark uphill attack to win the Flèche Wallonne classic for the second time. The 26-year-old Slovenian will aim to win the showcase Tour de France for the fourth time later this year. It was a disappointing race for two-time champion Remco Evenepoel as the Belgian rider was dropped by Pogačar up the Redoute climb. Advertisement The two-time Olympic champion could not gain any time back and instead dropped down to finish in 59th place, 3:11 behind Pogačar. The 152.9-kilometer (94.8-mile) women's race was set to finish later Sunday. ___ AP sports:
Gulf Insider
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Insider
Major Dubai Roads Closing For UAE Tour 2025 On Friday
Major roads in Dubai will be closed on Friday, February 21 as part of the UAE Tour cycle race. The UAE Tour 2025 sees a total of 140 riders saddle up for the of the seventh edition of the cycle race. The event is organised by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and is the only UCI WorldTour race in the Middle East. The roads that will impacted will be: Sheikh Zayed Road Al Naseem Street First Al Khail Street Al Jamayel Street Al Asayel Street Al Khamila Street Al Khail Street Al Fay Street Hessa Street Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street Al Qudra Road Saih Al Salam Street Tripoli Street Rebat Street Nad Al Hamar Road Ras Al Khor Road Al Meydan Road Dubai-Al Ain Road In a post on social media, the RTA said: 'Participants will set off at 12.30pm from the American University in Dubai, heading towards Sheikh Zayed Road, passing through Al Naseem Street, Al Khail Road, Al Jamayel Street, and Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street, before reaching the finish line opposite Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University—a total distance of 160km. 'As part of the traffic management procedures, some roads will be temporarily closed for 10 to 15 mins'. إليكم خريطة مسار فعالية طواف الإمارات 2025، يوم الجمعة 21 فبراير. ينطلق المشاركون في تمام الساعة 12:30 ظهراً من الجامعة الأمريكية إلى شارع الشيخ زايد، مروراً بشارع النسيم وشارع الخيل وشارع الجمايل وشارع زايد بن حمدان، وصولاً إلى نقطة الانتهاء مقابل جامعة حمدان الذكية لمسافة 160… — RTA (@rta_dubai) February 20, 2025 The authority advised motorists to plan trips in advance and to head out earlier to ensure smooth arrival at destinations.
