“Look mum, I’m on TV!”: Rogue amateur cycling next to João Almeida at Itzulia Basque Country goes viral, as fans spark ‘I’m Spartacus’ moment; Barcelona manager “delighted to get away from football” to watch Paris-Roubaix + more on the live blog

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) continued to show why he’s one of the breakout stars of cycling with a gutsy second-place finish on stage four of the Itzulia Basque Country — a performance that came despite the lingering effects of two recent crashes.

The 21-year-old Mexican crossed the line 28 seconds behind teammate João Almeida, who launched a late solo move to take both the stage win and the overall race lead.

“It was a great effort from the team,” Del Toro said post-race. “These stages are very difficult because of the work and very nerve-wracking, but João Almeida is in great shape and knew how to fight until the end and win. Hats off to the team for winning.”

Del Toro, who recently won Milano-Torino, isn’t in contention for the general classification this week, largely due to crashes that have taken a toll.

“I’m recovering from the crash at the GP Miguel Indurain. I’m feeling better from those knocks, but I also crashed on Tuesday during the second stage, and my right side is bruised. I have to sleep upright, face up; I can barely move,” he said.

The young rider’s form has been undeniable, but his physical condition is still acting as a limiting factor. Nonetheless, he’s proving to be a key asset in the mountains – and may play a vital role in helping Almeida hold on to the yellow jersey which the Spanish will be wearing today.

We’re only one day away from bike racing at the Hell of the North, and Barcelona coach, after seeing his team demolish Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, has declared his three favourites for the men’s race — it’s quite unsurprising picks in all honesty…

When asked by a journalist if he saw Pogačar as the clear favourite for the race, the Spanish football manager, who’s also known to have a passion for cycling, said: “There are also Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert… It’s incredible to see these riders. I’m delighted to see these beasts to get away from football.”

American Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner came with some jokes on her recent Strava post — a training ride in Spain in which she climbed 3,500 metres.

One person commented under the post: “Are you descending faster than the S&P 500?” to which she replied: “I’ll let you know tomorrow!”

A string of active travel infrastructure projects in Edinburgh, set to host the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ, have been hit with significant delays—some stretching as far back as ten years—raising serious concerns about the city’s commitment to improving walking and cycling routes.

City councillors revealed that 27 out of 39 active travel schemes have slipped beyond their original deadlines, including some major routes long promised to residents. The information came to light in a response to a question at a full council meeting last year.

Among the worst-hit projects is the cycling link between the Meadows and the Union Canal, which was originally due for completion in 2016 but is now expected in 2026. The active travel works along Fountainbridge and Dundee Street have also been delayed from 2017 to 2027, reports EdinburghLIve.

> “Paint is not protection, here’s why”: Damage to cycle lane sparks calls for properly protected cycling routes

Other flagship schemes haven’t fared much better. The Meadows to George Street corridor has been pushed from a 2022 completion to 2028, while George Street improvements are now not expected until 2029—eight years behind the original plan.

Some projects, like the active travel upgrade for the Powderhall Railway path in Broughton, are currently listed as ‘on hold’ with no completion date. Others, including the Portobello to Musselburgh route, are now ‘under review’. Even Charlotte Square’s long-awaited improvements have slipped from 2016 to a tentative 2027 date.

The extent of the delays has prompted Green councillor and party co-leader Chas Booth to raise an emergency motion calling for urgent action. “Funding and staffing resources, as well as some of the bureaucracy involved in building new infrastructure,” were cited as key reasons for the hold-ups.

Although the motion was not accepted as an emergency item, the Green group is expected to re-table it at the next Transport and Environment Committee meeting following the council’s April recess.

If passed, the motion would instruct council officers to return within three months with concrete proposals to reduce delays and get projects back on track.

> “Next level appalling”: Driver blasts horn at cyclist and child as Ronnie Pickering-style passenger tells him he “shouldn’t be in the middle of the bloody road”

And the Belgian champion beats the world champion Tadej Pogačar in the Paris Roubaix sprint. What a cute moment 😍

Thank you for sending the video Pieter. #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/c87Ghqroa0

— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) April 10, 2025

Of course, someone had to comment: “Don’t see De Lie doing that”…

The UCI has confirmed a change of venue for the 2025 Gravel World Championships, with the race now set to take place in the Zuid-Limburg region of the Netherlands on 11-12 October—one week earlier than originally planned.

Originally scheduled for Nice, France, the fourth edition of the rapidly growing off-road discipline will instead unfold across the hilly terrain of southern Limburg, with support from the municipalities of Maastricht, Beek, and Beekdaelen.

The event will again be organised by Golazo, the Belgian-based events group behind previous editions and a host of other high-profile races.

Matej Mohorič at the 2023 gravel world championships (Thomas Maheux/SWPix.com)

Zuid-Limburg isn’t new to top-level racing. The region, steeped in Dutch cycling heritage, has hosted five editions of the UCI Road World Championships and earned UCI Bike Region status back in 2016. Most recently, Valkenburg—just up the road—hosted Marly Grav, a UCI Gravel World Series event and likely taste of what’s to come in October.

Dutch riders currently hold both rainbow jerseys: Mathieu van der Poel in the Elite Men’s and Marianne Vos in the Elite Women’s category.

> UCI president David Lappartient vows to stand up to Donald Trump in pitch for top Olympic job

 

 

 

 

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UCI President David Lappartient, recently in the news after his unsuccessful Olympic presidency bid, said: “I’m delighted that the South-Limburg region, in the province of Limburg, will be involved in the organisation of the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships and would like to thank them for submitting their bid after the city of Nice withdrew.

“By hosting the UCI Gravel World Championships, the province of Limburg has further enhanced its standing as a leading cycling region at international level, while contributing to the development of gravel, a discipline that is still quite new and has considerable potential for growth.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the official programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games—and it’s good news for cycling fans.

With 514 riders competing across five disciplines, cycling will be the third largest sport at LA 2028 in terms of both participant numbers and Olympic titles on offer.

A total of 22 gold medals will be awarded across road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle—reflecting the sport’s growing breadth and popularity on the world stage.

Road cycling will see the largest field, with 180 riders set to line up for the road races and time trials. Track cycling comes in even bigger, with 190 athletes contesting events like the sprint, team pursuit and Madison. Mountain biking will see 72 athletes battle it out in the cross-country events, while BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle Park will feature 48 and 24 riders, respectively.

Similar to last year’s Paris Olympic Games, there will be exactly 257 women and men’s riders competing, with parity upheld in every discipline.

The qualification systems for each cycling event will be published between late 2025 and early 2026.

For city cyclists dodging traffic and potholes on a daily basis, the benefits of bike commuting often speak for themselves: no gridlock, a breeze in your face, and a mini workout before your morning coffee.

Now, a new study from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health confirms what many of us already suspected: cycling to work actually makes you healthier, more productive, and takes a real chunk out of sick days — but on the flip side, they are also at an added risk of getting caught in collisions while commuting.

Researchers Jenni Ervasti and Essi Kalliolahti followed municipal employees to measure the effects of commuting habits on health and job performance. The findings? Riders who regularly cycled to work took significantly fewer sick days and reported feeling healthier and more capable in their roles.

The numbers are pretty striking: those who pedalled to work most often chalked up 531 fewer sick days per 100 person-years compared to their non-cycling colleagues. That’s a serious case for swapping the driver’s seat for a saddle.

The study did show that regular, year-round cyclists face a slightly higher risk of commuting accidents, particularly in winter and on longer rides. But those risks are mostly short-term, and Kalliolahti says the long-term health gains still outweigh the crash risk.

“Commuting by bike, especially regularly and over longer distances, significantly improves work ability and overall health,” she said. “Even when we factor in the increased accident risk, the advantages are clear.”

Occasional bike commuting didn’t offer the same benefits—riders saw the biggest boost when cycling became a consistent routine, not just a fair-weather option. The research also makes a strong case for cities and employers to do more to support active travel. More protected bike lanes, better infrastructure, and workplace facilities like safe bike storage, changing rooms, or even mileage incentives could all help.

“Providing safe bike storage, change rooms, or even mileage incentives could go a long way,” said Kalliolahti. “But above all, we need to prioritise safety—bike helmets, proper lighting, and studded tyres in winter can help reduce the risk of accidents.”

The findings echo a previous study published in BMJ Public Health, which found that regular cycle commuters had a 47 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality than those using cars or public transport.

So if you’re already a year-round rider, pat yourself on the back! And if not? Maybe it’s time to give the daily ride a go — for your health, your headspace, and your city.

> “More money p***ed up the wall”: Drivers fume at Bristol’s new ‘leaning support rail’ for cyclists to rest at top of steep city streets

EF Education-EasyPost’s Ben Healy has won the fifth stage of Itzulia Basque Country with an astonishing 55km solo ride from the breakaway, crossing the finish line almost two minutes before Ineos Grenadiers’ Axel Laurance.

Ben Healy owns Stage 5 of Itzulia Basque Country 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ri0gf7D9U0

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) April 11, 2025

“I had good legs today and glad I could finish it off in the end like I did,” the Irishman said after the race. “We had two guys in the breakaway and it was a strong group, and we didn’t want to risk it, so I went in the tailwind, had good legs today, keep a gap and made it stick to the line.”

There were no changes in the overall general classification today, with João Almeida still in the lead ahead of Soudal Quick-Step’s Max Schachmann.

Now that’s a picture of a lifetime.

As Almeida soared to a brilliant solo victory in the fourth stage of Itzulia Basque Country, carving out a lead of 30 seconds in the general classification, the broadcast caught a rather unusual sight — a non-pro cyclist casually riding the same road as the peloton.

The rather relaxed riding style, contrasted with the aggressive descending of the UAE Team Emirates rider, hasn’t failed to amuse cyclists online, many trying to figure out who is the unknown cyclist — some even jokingly laying claim to be the one.

One person wrote: “At least he has a picture with Almeida during the action, I’d love to have one,” while another wrote: “I wish it was me!”

Another person wrote rather frankly: “Damn, my a** is bigger than I thought.”

Any live blog readers willing to claim to be the one? Let us know in the comments…