“If he’s a cyclist, he gets two years and is written off from everything”: Former pro cyclist blasts tennis number one Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban as “scandalous” and asks “how can you negotiate a suspension?” + more on the live blog

And by famous, we mean “major awards” and newspaper (digital print is still print, I guess) famous! Because as the father-son duo behind Vielo Sports were featured online, their Vielo V+1 Race Edition Force AXS XPLR, winner of our Gravel Bike of the Year 2024/25, propped up in conversation.

> Vielo V+1 Race Edition Force AXS XPLR 2024

The company was set up Ian Hughes and his son Trevor eight years ago in Gateshead, and they’ve recently invested more than £750,000 in the brand which offers a range of road, race and gravel models.

BusinessLive wrote: “The Gateshead-based firm scooped Gravel Bike of the Year 2024/25 at the cycling news outlet Road CC’s [sic] annual awards. Judges praised the firm’s Vielo V+1 Race Edition model as being ‘incredibly capable’.”

While awarding it our prestigious (I think we’d all agree with that now) Gravel and Adventure Bike of the Year Award, we wrote: “The Vielo V+1 Race Edition, an incredibly capable gravel bike that performs beautifully whether you’re on or off the beaten path. Straight out of the box, it’ll impress you with its agile and responsive feel, providing a fun ride whether you’re on dry trails or tackling muddy, challenging conditions. It stands out from the crowd in this striking orange-to-pink fade paint job, but there’s way more here than aesthetics.”

Ian Hughes, a former BBC presenter who subsequently helped bring the Scott mountain bike brand to the UK, said: “The Vielo V+1 Race Edition was competing against major international brands, so for a small company from Gateshead to win the overall Gravel & Adventure Bike of the Year award is incredible. It’s a huge achievement and a proud moment for the whole team.

“In designing this lightweight bike, our goal was to create something truly unique - tailored to real-world riding conditions, built for versatility, designed around the user, and engineered to the very highest standards.

“The future for Vielo is incredibly exciting. We’ve navigated the highs and lows, investing in developing this bike and the business. We’re looking forward to a long-term sustainable future for the brand, allowing us to expand globally and push forward with an ambitious programme of design and development for new products in the years ahead.”

Cycling’s turn towards data, numbers, computers and calculations is nothing new. Despite how one may feel about the overt encroaches of technology into each facet of our lives, pretty much every major sport under the sun has inculcated them. However, 32-year-old Julian Alaphilippe, settling into life at Tudor ProCycling, has reserved some dismissive words for both the sport and the riders who obsess over such things.

Speaking to Dutch cycling magazine, Wieler Revue, the former world champion said: “The main difference between now and ten years ago is that there is less room for instinctive riders like me.

“It’s increasingly about the calculations that our trainers make. It makes me sad when riders are only concerned with the power they rode after a race. If they’ve broken their five-minute record, they don’t even care what happened in the race. That’s not cycling to me. For me it’s about the show, making the race and getting results.”

> Alaphilippe heads off on two-hour training ride AFTER Dwars door Vlaanderen

The French rider who finished eighth in his season opener at the Figueira Champions Classic added: “My goal is still to be an attacking rider, to keep entertaining people," Alaphilippe explains. “It’s the reason why I love this sport. I’m working hard to get back to my best level possible, but I’m living the sport the same way I did when I turned pro in 2014. A lot has changed, but I think it’s important to stay who I am. And yes, that's becoming increasingly difficult in modern cycling. I try to evolve with the new reality, but I also want to stay myself.

“Of course, aggressive racing with heart can still beat the raw numbers. If that were no longer the case, I would no longer be here. The sport will need that ‘panache’ — the riders who colour a little outside the lines of the usual scenario. I will continue to do that until I stop. To be honest, I rarely look at my abilities, because you can ride record after record, but in the end, it’s all about your feeling on the bike. It’s one of the reasons why I chose Tudor Pro Cycling. Here, there is a professional structure, but I also get the freedom to race the way I want.”

ICYMI, it's the road.cc Home Mechanics’ Week, and today we are investigating when it might be more cost-effective to work on your bike at home, versus when it's definitely better to leave it to the professionals.

Read to find out: > Is it always cheaper to do your own bike maintenance? We do the sums to work out when the bike shop is best

Death, taxes, and Jasper Philipsen attracting controversy for his sprints…

The 2023 Tour de France points jersey winner has asserted himself as one of the best sprinters of his generation, but his racing style, particularly deviating from his sprint line, has often been used as a stick to beat him with.

On his season opener, it was more of the same as Philipsen, who crossed the line second behind Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan, was judged to have cut across the way of Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe’s Finn Fisher-Black and was relegated to the 52nd spot.

> Fans unimpressed as Jasper Philipsen accused of "bullying" rival in bizarre Tour de France incident

Now, fans have criticised the Belgian’s “reckless veering” on Alpecin-Deceuninck’s social media post, in which the team wrote: “Jasper Philipsen put in a strong sprint and crossed the line in second behind Jonathan Milan.

“However, the jury declassified him to 52nd place for - unintentionally - deviating from his line. Jasper is disappointed but respects the decision.

 

 

 

 

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Philipsen added: “I wasn’t aware of my movement, especially since I was completely on the limit in those final meters. Of course, I had no intention of obstructing anyone.”

The UCI, decided that the manoeuvre wasn’t serious enough for a yellow card, but only a relegation and a fine of 500 Swiss francs. However, one fan commented: “He was aware, he looked behind just before the line.”

Another wrote: “So you didn't cover sprinting straight in team camps? When is Jasper gonna learn? You're throwing away all the work your team did to get you in that position by recklessly veering over. There's no reason to look back and he moved 3+ bike widths. Come on man.”

Meanwhile, one person said: “Sorry, but this happens more than once… NOT necessary!” while another simply wrote: “What a surprise!”

On a day most cycling fans expected to be marked by the world champion’s show of strength and intent, the 12km time trial has produced a somewhat surprising, if not an utterly unlikely winner, with British time trial champion Josh Tarling storming the flat circuit on Al Hudayriyat Island in 12:55 — an average speed of 56.7km/hr, almost a kilometre a minute!

Tarling’s success comes thanks to an honestly ridiculous 68-tooth chainring on his Pinarello Bolide F, also fitted with a 11-30 cassette. His average power for the first six minutes was an astonishing 510w.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Velon CC (@veloncc)

And with that win, the 21-year-old has finally brought an end to the winless run for Ineos Grenadiers, with the out of sorts British team spending the longest time without a win at the top level among the 18 WorldTour teams — their last win came all the way back in June last year, at the Dauphiné, courtesy of Carlos Rodríguez.

Speaking after crossing the finish line, Tarling said: “It was really windy. The first part was a headwind, and then there was a long crosswind section. The first part was the hardest. Then we got a bit of respite with the corners before the end. It was kind of two halves.

“From the end of last year, I had a bit of bad luck, and I kept coming second in the TTs with Remco. I needed this. I’m super happy.”

He added: “I think tomorrow’s going to be a big day. Hopefully I get a bit of confidence back now. I’m excited for the rest [of the season].”

The win puts Tarling in the overall lead of the race, with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team’s Stefan Bissegger 13 seconds behind, while Pogačar finished third, 18 seconds down on the TT prodigy.

Following the death of a young cyclist on the junction of Stratford High Street and Carpenters Road on 13 January 2025, the London Cycling Campaign has announced that it will be organising a protest ride on Monday, 24th February at 6:30pm in Stratford, asking TfL and Newham Council to work together to rapidly improve the junctions along this route so that “no one has to risk their life cycling through here”.

The campaign group said: “This junction is one of a cluster rated among the most dangerous for cycling in Newham that have been known for decades to be inadequately designed for cycle safety along Cycleway 2 (C2), one of the first protected cycle tracks in London.

“Recently, we’ve seen too many examples of TfL being too weak and slow and timid on junction designs, as highlighted by its recent Great Eastern Street designs. The issues along C2 are about longstanding inaction at junctions known for years to be dangerous.

“Yet, at the same time, when the Mayor and TfL do make “improvements”, they are failing to make junctions truly safer for people walking and cycling. So we’re demanding not just that the Mayor and TfL get back on track on junctions, but also that they take rapid and bold action here in Stratford as they did a few years ago at Holborn. Those cycling at Stratford deserve the same respect as those cycling in Camden.”

The group also shared the above image of cycling fatalities on social media, writing: “So many people are killed cycling in London and we never even know their names.

“A man in his 20s was killed cycling in Stratford last month. Come protest next Monday 24 February. Nobody should cycle out the door and not come home.”