A lot happens daily in cycling, and the information keeps coming via various channels. But besides the prominent and most important news, little things, rumors, or facts also circulate. That is why IDLProCycling.com has created "Meanwhile in the peloton," so you don't miss anything. We supplement this with fun posts from social media that you don't always need to take seriously. Thibau Nys celebrates 22nd birthday
November 12 - Thibau Nys is celebrating his 22nd birthday this Tuesday. The Belgian received a big congratulations on Instagram from his team Lidl-Trek, father Sven and his Dutch girlfriend Anna Eikendal. "Happy birthday Champ," Nys wrote
alongside a photo of Thibau in his brand-new European jersey.
Lander Loockx crashes in Niel, sidelined for several weeks
November 12 - Bad news for Lander Loockx and his team TDT-Unibet. The cyclo-cross rider crashed on Monday in Niel, and the injuries are worse than expected. He shared the news through the team’s channels on
X. "A small crash, but one with big consequences… I badly damaged my finger with a dislocation and a damaged joint. After the surgery in the hospital, the verdict was that I will be out for several weeks. When I will be back in the field is still a question mark for me, but it will be a few weeks anyway. Hope to see you all at the cross again soon!" Stay strong, Lander!
Óscar Freire's son, Marcos, signs with UAE Team Emirates Gen Z
November. 11, 2024 - The next son of a former top rider debuted in the peloton. More and more former Spanish riders have appeared on the scene in recent years. Think of Igor Arrieta, son of José Luis Arrieta, and Markel Beloki, son of Joseba Beloki. Now Marcos Freire, son of former world champion Óscar Freire, also joins that list. The 18-year-old rider has committed to UAE Team Emirates Gen Z for two seasons, according to
El Diario Montañés. Last year, Freire already trained once during preseason, as shown in the photo below.
Freire stands out for his versatility: like his father, he excels at sprinting, but he also performs well in mountain stages and time trials, giving him a reasonably complete profile. "A high mountain pass will be difficult for me to overcome, but if it is a four- or five-kilometer climb and after it a sprint finish, that suits me well," Freire told El Diario Montañés in an interview. Looking ahead to 2025, he is "pleased because I'm joining a great team."
Alex Dowsett joins Astana Qazaqstan on Cavendish's terms
November 11, 2024 - Cavendish still has some leverage at Astana Qazaqstan, according to
Daniel Benson. The cycling journalist reports that Alex Dowsett will join manager Alexander Vinokourov's team on the sprinter's condition. The 36-year-old Dowsett is a former Movistar and Israel-Premier Tech pro and will become a Performance Engineer. Dowsett, who has been heavily involved in aerodynamics and marginal gains during his career, was already engaged with Astana Qazaqstan this year. That proved satisfactory, so the Kazakhs have created a new role for him.
Alex Dowsett as British time trail champion
Valgren and Costa extend contract at EF Education-EasyPost
November 9, 2024 - Michael Valgren and Rui Costa have extended their expiring contracts at EF Education-EasyPost. This is what their management agency, Corso, reports on social media. Whereas Costa remains with the American WorldTour team through 2025, Valgren extended for two additional seasons. The Dane has been riding for EF Education-EasyPost since 2021. Costa came over from Intermarché-Wanty last season.
Van der Poel on the golf course
November 9, 2024 -
Mathieu van der Poel is enjoying his vacation. The Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck shared some photos of a day on the golf course on Friday. They showed him in good shape ("Mathieu on fire!") and with a light blond haircut.
Vollering welcomes new national coach Ten Dam
7 November 2024 -
Laurens ten Dam
announced Thursday that he will be the national coach of the Dutch women's team starting next year.
Demi Vollering, the expected frontwoman for next year's tough World Championships in Rwanda, welcomed the new coach of choice on Instagram.
Sprinter Gaviria extends at Movistar
November 7, 2024 - Fernando Gaviria has signed with Movistar. As announced in a
press release. "Especially after the renewals of Davide Cimolai and Albert Torres, the sprint train remains intact. I look forward to pursuing new success," Gaviria said. Unkind was not his season in 2024. He finished second once and third in a sprint at the Tour de France.
November 6, 2024 -
Lotto Dstny says goodbye to their departing athletes with an excellent video. 'Riders come and go - that's cycling. As the season ends, we say goodbye to some dear riders. Thank you for every moment, every kilometer, every sacrifice," the Belgian team captioned accordingly.
Lotto is saying goodbye to as many as a third of the team. The reasons are now
known. Two riders are quitting: Thomas De Gendt and Jacopo Guarnieri. In addition, essential names such as Victor Campenaerts (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility), and Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates) are leaving. The two Dutchmen within the team also choose a new challenge: Pascal Eenkhoorn goes to Soudal Quick-Step, while Mathijs Paasschens makes an excellent transfer to Bahrain-Victorious. Furthermore, Harm Vanhoucke moved to the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, and Sylvian Moniquet moved to Cofidis. Where Johannes Adamietz will go is not yet clear.
British rider completes cyclo-cross with (even) bigger Visma | Lease a Bike helmet
November 5, 2024 - A remarkable sight at last weekend's cyclo-cross race in London. Honor Elliot rode the 'Muddy Hell Cyclo-cross' - with a Halloween twist - wearing a larger version of the Visma | Lease a Bike time trial helmet that became famous last season. And she didn't do so badly, as she finished second. 'It wasn't very aerodynamic,' she laughed afterward.
FDJ and Suez extend until 2028
November 4, 2024 - Good news from the women's peloton, as FDJ-Suez - Demi Vollering's new team - will be in the peloton until 2028 anyway. The French women's team also has a large Dutch clan within the selection, as Lauren Molengraaf, Loes Adegeest, Nina Buijsman, and Amber Kraak will also be part of the squad next year. Watch the video of the announcement below:
Bart Lemmen next cyclist with running legs
November 4, 2024 -
Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Tom Dumoulin, and the list goes on.... Cyclists who are excellent runners,
Bart Lemmen is one of them. On Sunday, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider showed off on his
Instagram story with a third place finish in the StartbaanRun in Soesterberg, a ten-kilometer marathon. It took him 33 minutes and 38 seconds, as demonstrated by his
Strava file.
Puck Pieterse deployed as mechanic
November 4, 2024 - Puck Pieterse is still enjoying a well-deserved rest after a crazy year on the road and mountain bike, but the Dutchwoman prefers not to sit still. And so she headed to Rhenen in the Netherlands on Sunday during the European cyclo-cross championships in Pontevedra for the tenth Rhenen National Cyclo-cross Race. Sister Isa was there at the start and was enthusiastically helped and cheered on by sister Puck.
