“Too much skin, not enough suit”: Cyclists shocked by time trialist wearing “very bdsm” see-through skinsuit and latex gloves — others more concerned with dangling sunnies and unshaven legs; Carry s*** Olympics + more on the live blog

You don’t see Vingegaard say or react much, not in the press room, not on social media, and definitely not on the bike. But even for someone as measured and meticulous as the two-time Tour de France winner, one can assume that the recent reality check from Tadej Pogačar at the Critérium du Dauphiné must have stung a little.

After a sluggish time trial raised a few eyebrows, Pogačar returned two days later with the loudest of bangs on stage 6 — a devastating long-range attack on the Côte de Domancy that dropped both Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, and saw the world champion solo to victory in Combloux.

Vingegaard finished second on the day, with the gap to the leader being one minute. The visual and psychological gap, perhaps more

Tadej Pogačar riding away on stage six of the 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné (credit: ASO/Tony Esnault)

> “I had to hurry up to see Urška in the Tour de Suisse”: Pogačar blows the race apart to win stage six at the Dauphiné and seize yellow from Evenepoel

So, how do you respond to that? If you’re Vingegaard — and Visma-Lease a Bike — you go back to your safe space. You go to Tignes.

It’s where Vingegaard always prepares for the Tour, and where he’s returned again this June, as he looks to build toward a possible third yellow jersey. Speaking to Domestique, Visma-Lease a Bike head of performance Mathieu Heijboer admitted the team took a hit at the Dauphiné.

“He’s the best rider in the world right now,” Heijboer said of Pogačar. “He gave us a nice punch in the face again. We try to learn from him, but we cannot turn Jonas into Pogačar. We have to focus on getting the best out of Jonas and the team.”

There’s no panic, though. Vingegaard started his season well at the Volta ao Algarve but missed Catalunya after a concussion at Paris-Nice, leaving him a little light on racing before June. Still, Heijboer insisted: “I don’t think we could have prepared better… there was still some work to do in Tignes, of course, but I think he was even a little bit ahead of what we expected.”

Crucially, the team believes the controlled environment of Tignes has given them time to fine-tune every facet of Vingegaard’s fitness — especially for what they see as his territory: the heat, the altitude, and the third week of the Tour. That’s when Pogačar, for all his brilliance, has historically shown some vulnerability. In both 2022 and 2023, Pogačar cracked in the Alps — first on the Col du Granon, then a year later on the Col de la Loze. And Visma will be hoping history repeats.

Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard at the 2024 Tour de France (ASO/Charly Lopez)

“Last year, we were in a hurry,” Heijboer explained. “He was still coping with the consequences of the crash, even mentally… this year, those insecurities are gone. He feels comfortable in the peloton, there’s no fear… we’re way more confident in Jonas’ level and performance for this Tour than last year.”

Heijboer acknowledged that Vingegaard’s 2024 Plateau de Beille numbers were his best-ever over a longer climb, but warned that a Tour de France isn’t won on one monster effort. “Performance is much more than that,” he said. “This year, everything has been more secure. We’ve been able to work on strength, explosivity, time trialling, and longer climbs. It’s a different world.”

There’s also a different Jonas: the shy Dane who once couldn’t eat from nerves while leading the Tour of Poland is now a more confident figure within the team. “Since then, his level of confidence has increased so much,” Heijboer said. “We really coached him to develop his leadership skills… now there are fewer surprises in cycling for him. He’s always ready for the fight.”

Vingegaard and Pogačar at the start of stage 15, 2024 Tour de France (A.S.O./Charly Lopez)

Matteo Jorgenson is expected to be Vingegaard’s final lieutenant in the mountains, while Sepp Kuss returns after skipping the Giro. There’s risk in the decision to include Giro finishers Wout van Aert, Edoardo Affini and Simon Yates — but Visma believe they’ve balanced it carefully, and they’re also “realistic” about not being the favourites.

Heijboer added: “Although we lost at the Dauphiné, it was still a battle… Pogačar didn’t take two minutes on every stage. There were positives to take, and we were confident Jonas could improve his level.”

A cyclist has found a novel solution to that age-old problem: what do you do when your mate’s bike ends up at your place and they’re not around to collect it? If you’re Reddit user u/batkobatko, the answer is simple — strap the thing to your own bike like a glorified trailer and cycle it back.

In a post on the subreddit r/bicycling, they explained how the whole thing came about: “After a recent trip, we had a guy transport our bicycles back home via truck. My friend’s roadie ended up at my place.” Rather than wait around or figure out another lift, they decided to ride it back — sort of. “So to bring it back to him,” they wrote, “I MacGyvered a way to strap it to the rack of my commuter like a makeshift trailer.”

Towing a friends road bike strapped to my bike rack (video in comments)
byu/batkobatko inbicycling

All it took, apparently, was “just 4 velcro straps and a canvas belt, very tightly wrapped” — and despite the rather DIY setup, “it was way easier than I anticipated. And it was a pretty easy 35-minute ride, no problems on the way.”

I’ll admit, “velcro straps and a canvas belt” isn’t exactly industry-standard towing gear — but clearly it did the trick. The accompanying photos show the road bike hitched vertically to the commuter, one wheel lofted skyward like it’s mid-bunnyhop as the pedals turned themselves throughout the whole trip.

Reddit commenters were suitably impressed. One person said it was “brilliant” and added: “For those who don’t have a car but do have multiple bikes, this might come in handy.”

Another user shared their own low-tech solution: “I have done this by taking the front wheel off and wrapping the fork in old shirts or towels, and then dropping it into the pannier. Use some straps to prevent the thing from falling over. Then strap the wheel to the frame or rack of the towed bike.”

Perhaps the highest praise came from the user who simply nominated the post to another subreddit Carry S*** Olympics, the wonderful corner of the internet where cyclists one-up each other by hauling the most ridiculous things imaginable on two wheels — from fridges and mattresses to Christmas trees… and, erm, even as hearses.

> “Devastating consequences”: US bike industry may not recover from Trump tariffs until end of the decade, lobby group warns

Cofidis rider Eddy Finé has announced his retirement from professional cycling at the age of 27, bringing an end to a six-year WorldTour career that was repeatedly interrupted by a debilitating iliac artery condition. Despite multiple operations, the problem proved incompatible with elite-level racing.

“In consultation with the team’s medical staff, Eddy has made the difficult decision to end his sporting career,” Cofidis said in a statement. “The rider is struggling with an abnormality in the iliac artery, a problem that is incompatible with top-level sport. Eddy had worked hard to return to competition after undergoing three operations since joining the team in 2019.

“He has a smile, a talent for motivation, and is a great teammate. Eddy has been a key figure on the Cofidis team for six seasons. Over the years, he has developed into a brave teammate who strives to give his best for the team in every race.”

Finé joined Cofidis midway through 2019, stepping up from French Continental teams Charvieu Chavagneux Isère Cyclisme and VC Villefranche Beaujolais. He never rode for another professional team, and over six seasons became a well-regarded figure in the peloton — a dependable teammate who featured in two editions of Paris-Roubaix and made his Grand Tour debut at the 2021 Vuelta a España, and even came closest to a professional victory at the 2024 Tro-Bro Léon, where he finished fourth.

His retirement was prompted by endofibrosis, a condition seen in high-level endurance athletes where the iliac artery gradually narrows or becomes compressed, limiting blood flow to the legs and causing pain, loss of power, and reduced performance during intense efforts.

“With repeated exertion, the artery becomes blocked, and residue builds up, leading to endofibrosis,” Finé explained. “I had been struggling for a while, and we had made use of all options. I had no choice; I was forced to stop racing.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Eddy Finé (@eddyfine)

In his farewell message, Finé reflected on the difficulty of the decision and the frustration that followed: “Of course, it’s painful; no one wants to end their career like this. I will be eternally grateful to this team, the only one I have ever known at a professional level. Ending your sporting career in this way is inevitably very painful.

“It was a forced decision, but I knew I had no other choice. It was a difficult time to get through. After that, there was inevitably a lot of frustration. I said goodbye to the team where I spent six years of my life.”

Wishing Eddy Finé good health and better days ahead — wherever the next ride takes him.

Fresh contract, birthday candles, and a Tour de France start list — not a bad week for Matteo Jorgenson. The American rider, who turns 26 today, has signed a new deal with Visma-Lease a Bike that will keep him with the team until the end of 2029.

Jorgenson only joined the Dutch squad last season after four years at Movistar, but he’s already become one of their most valuable and versatile riders. In the past 18 months, he’s won Paris-Nice twice, Dwars door Vlaanderen, finished second overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and secured a top ten finish at the Tour de France — all while still as the supporting act for Jonas Vingegaard.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@teamvisma_leaseabike)

“I felt at home here straight away and I don’t see any other team where I can work with the same trust and calmness as I do here,” he said. “The mentality within the team matches mine and so does the way of working.

“For a rider like me, who pays a lot of attention to small details, it’s really important to work in an environment where you can trust everyone around you. I’ve found that here, with the coaches, sports directors, food coaches, management, and all the other specialists. They look at the details even more closely than I ever could, which allows me to focus fully on my job: training and racing.”

That attention to detail has clearly paid off — and changed the way Jorgenson thinks about his own ceiling: “Winning Paris-Nice twice was something I never thought was possible before I joined this team. It has changed my goals and ambitions and allowed me to dream bigger.

“Honestly, it felt like an easy decision. I’ve set ambitious goals for the next four years and want to make this the peak of my career. I’m happy I can pursue those goals in this environment.”

The team clearly sees him as a cornerstone for the future. Head of racing Grischa Niermann said: “Even though he was still under contract, it was our priority to secure Matteo for the long term. Matteo is a very important rider for us in both the Grand Tours and the Classics. We have big plans with him, and we’re happy he has committed his future to us.”

Jorgenson will be back in action at the Tour de France this weekend, riding alongside Simon Yates, Sepp Kuss and Wout van Aert in support of Vingegaard. And perhaps soon with even bigger goals of his own down the road.

Because why not? Brighton-based filmmaker Tom Cattoni decided to strap a giant sheet of plywood to his cargo bike and take it for a spin, sharing the image on his Instagram stories with the caption “Just Cos”… I believe it’s exactly the kind of energy the Carry S*** Olympics was made for.

Between this and our Reddit rider towing a full road bike with velcro straps, we have some strong entries today…

> Town where cyclists ordered to pay £1,000 for cycling on high street claims terrified locals are “scarred for life” by “anti-social” cycling

It’s been another tough year for Accell Group — the Dutch company behind brands like Raleigh, Haibike, Babboe and Lapierre — which has reported a 22 per cent drop in revenue for 2024, down from €1.29 billion to just over €1 billion, as deep discounting, stock write-offs and the ongoing fallout from the Babboe cargo bike recall continue to weigh heavily on performance.

In a statement, CEO Jonas Nilsson said the first half of 2025 showed the company was “on the right track towards a sustainable recovery,” but acknowledged that “there is still a great deal to be done,” reports Bike Europe.

He added: “We have demonstrated resilience and have begun to reap the benefits of our integration, becoming less complex and more efficient. The strength of our brands is unparalleled and we see growth in our Parts & Accessories (P&A) business as well as in key regions.”

> Raleigh owner Accell’s credit rating downgraded for fourth time in a year, as group’s cargo bike company slammed for “shambles” recall of faulty frames

While the company didn’t reveal its exact EBIT figure for the year, it did note that earnings were in line with 2023 — which saw a €390 million loss — with one-offs in 2024 linked to obsolete stock, capital restructuring, and Babboe-related costs.

Accell has been in the midst of a major overhaul, which has included cutting the number of warehouses from 85 to 28, outsourcing production to both owned and third-party factories, and making its Hungarian plant the group’s central manufacturing hub. The transformation has also involved divesting its Turkish factory and, according to reports, quietly laying off staff at its Heerenveen facility — raising questions about the long-term future of its Dutch production site.

Babboe, the cargo bike brand embroiled in faulty frames recall saga, has now resumed sales in Germany, France and Denmark, with Nilsson saying the brand is well-positioned to meet “growing demand for safe and innovative cargo bikes,” particularly in the mid-range segment.

> Near Miss of the Day 931: Cyclist “perplexed” as two almost identical close passes treated very differently by police force

We’ve seen some bold time trial skinsuits before — fishnet panels, wild colourways, questionable zips — but this one might take the prize (not the good kind).

A photo of a rider in a see-through mesh bodysuit has surfaced on r/CyclingFashion, and it’s left most of the subreddit somewhere between horrified, impressed, and completely baffled. It’s less ‘skinsuit’ and more a… sheer bodystocking.

Thoughts on this skinsuit
byu/BaewuIf inCyclingFashion

The fit in question includes black mesh fabric, long white socks, dangling sunglasses, latex gloves, and a time trial helmet that looks like it could double as a satellite dish. One commenter said: “Looks like someone’s kink. The latex gloves seal the deal.” Another added: “This is why you should be thankful for the UCI.”

Beyond the… styling choices, several users were focused on more practical concerns. “Whatever. I’m more interested in the saddle height decision,” said one person.

That saddle height became something of a subplot. “It’s a photo opp for sure,” one sceptic wrote. “That saddle height is so far from right that it’s clear nobody on set knew anything about bikes.” Another user wasn’t having it: “You should take a second look at those quads before claiming he knows nothing about bikes. Dude’s packing some serious heat…”

> “Really gotta hand it to them”: Bizarro “hands-on” bike seat fetches £30 (plus £77 shipping) on eBay, but one cyclist says “this looks much more comfortable than the dildo I’ve been riding on”

Some responses veered (predictably, I’d say) into full NSFW territory. One person wrote: “When you have a crit at 2pm and a Brazzers shoot at 4pm.”

As ever, there were some very brave and unabashed defenders, one of them writing: “Honestly love it. It’s great to see someone confident in their body. It’s also pretty tastefully done, I would say. 10/10 no notes.”

Someone even brought out a deep cut: “Chris Froome’s fishnets suit was a little more opaque than this one!”

Chris Froome’s sunburnt back, thanks to *that* Rapha Team Sky mesh skinsuit​

Who the rider is, and whether this was a genuine attempt at marginal gains, some kind of off-season shoot, or a promo for a Berlin nightclub, remains unknown. But if anyone tried pulling this off during the recent UK heatwave, they’d be leaving the start ramp with third-degree burns. Dan is still recovering from the weekend’s sunblast, and he was wearing an actual kit (I hope).

> “Signing the lifelong contract was a mere formality”: Wout van Aert gets Visma-Lease a Bike logo sunburnt on his thighs, as fans joke about rider getting logo tattooed

Maybe it’s aero. Maybe it’s chic. Maybe it’s both. Let us know in the comments what you think…