“That kick felt personal”: Horrified cyclist watches airline baggage handler “maliciously” throw and kick bike bag, but says “luckily the bike survived” after “going missing”; Simon Yates Giro win reaction; Thomas slams UAE tactics + more on the live blog

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Velon CC (@veloncc)

A pink jersey and the Colle delle Finestre’s climbing record – not bad, eh?

Yate’s monster ride on the Finestre was also just under five – five! – minutes faster that the time Chris Froome managed on that fateful day back in 2018, with the four-time Tour winner taking an hour, four minutes, and 20 seconds to complete the 18.3km climb as he put the rest of the Giro to the sword.

He was also 2.46 faster than the previous Strava KOM, set by his Giro rival Derek Gee. That’s mind-boggling stuff.

And, just to underline Visma-Lease a Bike’s physical superiority – never mind the tactics – Wout van Aert, on his way to playing the perfect team role over the top of the Finestre, achieved his best ever hourly power average on Strava, managing 428 watts for 60 minutes during that crucial, Giro-deciding period, setting a few KOMs along the way for good measure.

Unbelievable stuff.

Simon Yates, by his own admission, isn’t really one for overt displays of emotion.

But, in the wake of his staggering ‘don’t call it a redemption’ ride on the Colle delle Finestre, emotion finally got the better of the man from Bury.

And that’s understandable, because on Saturday afternoon at the Giro d’Italia, on the Alpine monster’s torturous gravel slopes, seven years of ghosts were laid to rest in the most perfect way possible. Ancient scripts were flipped, the spectre of 2018, Chris Froome’s daring raid, and Yates’ capitulation on that very same climb banished for good, redemption secured.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

There goes the R word again. But it’s a word that was hard to ignore over the weekend, such was the perfectly crafted narrative unfolding beneath Yates’ blisteringly fast bike on the Finestre, precision planning carried out to the letter as chaos and then inertia engulfed those behind.

Cycling’s most romantic race had offered up one of its most romantic, enthralling storylines ever, one that was seven years in the making. And, naturally, the tears flowed.

> Simon Yates wins Giro d’Italia after stunning Colle delle Finestre raid

24 hours later, as the 32-year-old stood in Rome, clad in pink, those emotions – and the enormity of his success – were beginning to sink in. And tears had given way to a big, beaming smile.

“It feels really amazing. I think it’s slowly, slowly sinking in,” Yates told reporters after yesterday’s final stage in the Italian capital, which saw his Visma-Lease a Bike squad round things off in style with another sprint in for Olav Kooij.

“I’d normally consider myself quite unemotional and quite focused, but I just couldn’t hold it back. Yesterday it really got to me, and not to keep repeating myself, but it’s something I’ve really worked for and really sacrificed for a long time. I just couldn’t believe that I had managed to pull it off. It just came pouring out.”

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

“Ever since I turned professional, I always dreamed of winning the best races, and of course the Grand Tours are the pinnacle of our sport,” the 32-year-old, who became the fourth British rider to win the Giro, after his 2018 nemesis Froome, Tao Geoghegan Hart, and Nicole Cooke, added.

“I fell in love with the Giro in 2018 and I think you guys already know that I’ve had my ups and downs here, but it’s a race that kept calling my name and I’ve finally managed to win it. I still can’t believe it but it’s a dream come true.

“For sure the Giro win is the defining moment of my career, there’s no doubt about that. I’ve had some good successes but I don’t think anything comes close to this.

“I think I’m at the pinnacle of my career. I don’t know how much better you can get from here.”

> Are “rude” cyclists and toxic online debates really putting people off cycle lanes?

Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard may have been nowhere to be seen (thank goodness, say fans of open, unpredictable racing everywhere), but after a lean year or so, Visma-Lease a Bike will take heart from the fact they out-thought and out-fought their big rivals UAE Team Emirates on the roads of Italy.

Eventually, at least.

So, with the Italian proxy war now behind us, all thoughts are naturally turning to next month’s Tour de France, where Simon and Adam Yates could once again end up on opposing sides in the battle for grand tour supremacy.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

When asked yesterday whether his brother should follow up his Giro victory by supporting Vingegaard at the Tour, Adam – who was snapped up by UAE as part of the Big Two’s Yates twins draft of recent years – jokingly replied: “If I was him, I’d be retiring right now.”

Or at least I think he was joking.

And what about Simon? Is he prepared to give up a summer of celebrating to ride tempo for his Visma leader Vingegaard on the climbs of the Tour?

“I’ll celebrate for sure and we’ll see what is to come,” he said in Rome.

“It’s still sinking in. We finished in such a great way with the stage win as well today, I think everyone’s just on cloud nine as well, so you really start to realise what we’ve accomplished here. We had a great Giro, and we’ll see what happens after this.”

So… Maybe, then.

Red Bull-Bora’s Maxim van Gils was one of only two riders (along with Storm Ingebrigtsen) to break Matthew Brennan’s stranglehold on last week’s Tour of Norway.

But, after outsprinting the young British star to the line in Heja on Saturday, the Belgian’s admittedly lengthy victory salute didn’t quite go to plan:

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Tour of Norway (@tourofnorway)

Oops. Well, at least he crashed after crossing the line and winning the stage. And good job he didn’t take out Brennan, either (not that we’re biased or anything…).

Simon Yates wasn’t the only British Visma-Lease a Bike rider to win a stage race at the weekend.

At the Tour of Norway, Matthew Brennan continued his meteoric rise to the top of the sport, winning two out of the race’s four stages and clinching his first ever professional GC victory.

The 19-year-old, who turned pro with Visma at the start of the year, even denied soon-to-be-retiring veteran Alexander Kristoff a fairytale farewell stage win at his home race yesterday, charging down the inside to pip the Uno-X man at the line.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by TNT Sports Cycling (@tntsportscycling)

Darlington-born Brennan absolutely dominated proceedings in Norway, finishing in the top two on all four stages and winning the GC, young rider’s jersey, and points classification.

That means he now has 10 victories already in his debut pro season, more than any other rider in the peloton, after a storming start to 2025, featuring victories at the GP Denain, Volta a Catalunya, Tour de Romandie, and the Rund um Köln.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Tour of Norway (@tourofnorway)

“It’s really nice. It’s my first professional GC win so I’m always going to remember this one,” Brennan said after yesterday’s stage, which saw him wrap up a comfortable overall victory, 28 seconds clear of Ineos rider Victor Langellotti.

“The way we all performed this week was top class, I couldn’t have done any of this without the boys being here at every moment.”

The lad just can’t stop winning…

New images of a proposed £15m regional cycling centre, set to be based in north-west Bristol, have been released, as the city council formally submitted a planning application for the ambitious project.

The Bristol Regional Cycling Hub – which is expected to open in 2027 – will be built on Henacre Open Space, a former landfill site in Lawrence Weston, and will feature a 1km race track designed in collaboration with British Cycling, an area for children to learn how to ride and train free of traffic, and improved connections to the local cycle network.

If the council signs off on the planning permission, the hub will replace the existing Bristol Family Cycling Centre, based 10 miles away at the Old Whitchurch Athletics Track in Bamfield.

That particular site in the south of the city has been earmarked for housing, sparking protests and petitions from locals who argue that Bristol is “big enough” for both the Family Cycling Centre and the new state-of-the-art facility in the north of the city.

In planning documents, Bristol City Council’s consultants say the new hub will be funded by the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, administered by the West of England Combined Authority. A previous bid for money from the Levelling Up fund was rejected.

“The proposed development aims to address the growing need for improved active travel through cycling, delivering a wide range of benefits to the community,” the consultants said in a statement.

“Designed with inclusivity at its core, the facility will cater to individuals of all ages and abilities, encouraging new cyclists while enhancing the skills and confidence of experienced riders.

“The overarching goal is to create a safe and controlled environment where everyone, including school children and individuals with additional needs, can learn and enjoy cycling.

“The proposed development seeks to transform informal open space into formalised sports provision while retaining and enhancing portions of open space with improved footpaths and cycleways for local residents.”

The consultants added that the 1km competition-grade track was designed alongside British Cycling and can be used for both local races and regional championships, while the 250m training area for children and adults would be a traffic-free space for “developing cycling skills and education”.

“The community are set to gain from proposals with improvements to the existing National Cycle Network/Avon Cycleway route and public footpaths which will preserve good access across the site,” the consultants added.

“The existing network of paths will be re-aligned and expanded, improving the accessibility of the area. The shared use path will be wider than the current one and will be well lit for safety. The site and buildings are fully accessible for disabled users.”

> Lauf Cycles latest bike brand to add Trump surcharge due to “extraordinary tariffs” on imported components

I reckon it’s best to avoid asking any follow-up questions to that one…

“It’s like a ketchup bottle. When it’s almost finished, you keep shaking and shaking. Nothing happens but then suddenly everything comes out at once. That’s what happened at our Giro.”

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

That was the rather unexpected pearl of wisdom uttered by a reflective (and probably hungry) Wout van Aert at the end of the Giro d’Italia in Rome yesterday, when asked about the struggles both he and his Visma team faced at the start of this year’s race before finally coming good.

And you thought Eric Cantona was the most philosophical, poetic sportsperson on the planet.

Though, like everyone else, I was surprised he referred to red sauce and not mayonnaise. Wout, it’s the police, we’re here to retrieve your Belgian card…

They may have just won the Giro d’Italia, but you can never accuse Visma-Lease a Bike of resting on their laurels.

Always striving for sporting perfection and seeking that latest marginal gain, the Dutch squad has responded to Simon Yates’ pink jersey win by announcing this morning that they’re hiring… a new part-time bus driver.

“Are you an experienced and reliable bus driver with a passion for cycling? Would you like to be part of our team and contribute to the performance of our riders? Then we are looking for you!” Visma said.

“As a bus driver, you are an essential part of our cycling team. You are responsible for driving riders and staff to races, keeping the team bus clean and organised, and creating a comfortable environment for everyone. You also help ensure a professional and welcoming image for our team.”

According to the job criteria, the part-time bus driver will drive riders during races throughout Europe, maintain the cleanliness of the bus, and collaborate with soigneurs, mechanics, and performances chefs.

Dream job, anyone?

Canyon suffered a net loss of €38 million (£32m) last year, with the investment company who bought just over 50 per cent of the business in 2020 for €400 million (£337m) now saying their shares are worth 43 per cent less than in 2023 and 35 per cent less than what they invested five years ago, as the manufacturer predicts another “challenging” year in 2025:

Read more: > Canyon’s value drops 43% as bike brand makes £32m loss

Retired double world champion Annemiek van Vleuten has announced that she is expecting her first child in September, and she did so in typical AVV style – by walking to the top of a 2,000m-high mountain in Italy.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Annemiek van Vleuten (@annemiekvanvleuten)

“Our last holiday with the two of us, because in September we will be with three!” the 42-year-old captioned the photo, which sees her posing with partner Oscar Abad Suarez atop the Alpe Devero in Lombardy.

Dutch superstar Van Vleuten retired from cycling in 2023, following a sensational 15-year pro career which saw her secure 104 wins, including the worlds road race and time trial twice each, four Giro Donnes, three Vueltas, the 2022 Tour de France Femmes (plus two editions of La Course), two Tours of Flanders, and two editions of Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

She is currently working on a book, which will explore what she regards as the most crucial, defining moments of her career.

Just weeks after Sara Ruggins smashed the overall JOGLEJOG record, former pro cyclist-turned-endurance rider Molly Weaver is preparing for her own shot at long-distance cycling immortality – by attempting to break Nick Sanders’ around-Britain record.

Legendary two-wheeled adventurer and around-the-world cyclist Sanders set the record for riding the entire coastline of Great Britain in 1984, covering the 4,802 miles in just 22 days, a feat that is yet to be surpassed, despite the best efforts in 2016 of Sanders’ spiritual descendent Guy Martin.

And in a few weeks, Weaver – a former pro on the road for Trek-Drops, Sunweb, and Liv-Plantur – will set out to beat Sanders’ 41-year-old marker, announcing her plans while clad in a brilliantly garish homage to the celebrated ultra-cyclist and motorcyclist’s 1980s rainbow jumper.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Molly Weaver (@mollyweaver94)

“Recreating the past, and just maybe rewriting the future,” Weaver wrote on Instagram. “41 years ago Nick Sanders set the first and fastest time for the circumnavigation of Britain by bike, and a legendary world record was born.

“Many have tried and failed to break it since then, and in a couple of weeks’ time I’ll have my chance.

“For now that’s all still a dream, but hopefully it will soon become a reality. Only time will tell, and as always the clock never stops.”

Dot watchers, time to get ready again…

Of course, Simon Yates’ staggeringly strong, record-breaking ride on the Colle delle Finestre, and Visma-Lease a Bike’s inch-perfect execution of their tried and trusted ‘Plan Van Aert’, weren’t the only aspects of Saturday’s Alpine epic at the Giro making headlines.

As Yates disappeared into the distance, his two biggest rivals for pink, Richard Carapaz and race leader Isaac del Toro, dithered, locked into a stubborn, chaotic game of cat and mouse.

UAE Team Emirates’ Del Toro, the breakout star of this Giro, had seemed to grow in confidence during the race’s brutally tough first week after an early stumble, and tackled the Finestre with a laser focus on Carapaz, who he led by 43 seconds at the start of the day.

EF’s blistering lead-out at the bottom of the climb appeared to tee up a duel between the top two on GC, as 2019 Giro winner Carapaz launched attack after attack in a bid to dislodge his 21-year-old rival early and build a potential race-winning lead.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

But they didn’t count on Yates, 1.21 down on GC, who made his way back to the duo before quickly joining their stop-start attacking antics. However, one of those attacks finally stuck, and the British rider got a cap. Carapaz started to give chase, and almost made contact, but with Del Toro glued to his back wheel, wary of working too much to be outgunned at the end, the Ecuadorian sat up.

By the top, Yates’ gap, though ballooning, was still within reach when it came to the pink jersey. However, on the road to Sestrière, the lack of cohesion between Carapaz and Del Toro that characterised their ascent of the Finestre had devolved into a policy of mutually assured destruction.

Combined with the intervention of Wout van Aert and Yates’ legs, that was that.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

Unsurprisingly, the inquest into UAE and EF’s tactics was well underway by the time Del Toro sprinted clear of Carapaz in Sestrière – and Geraint Thomas delivered a scathing assessment of the young Mexican’s tactics in ‘defending’ pink.

“Don’t get me wrong, second for Del Toro in his first-ever Grand Tour at 21 is a great result,” the 2018 Tour de France winner said on his Watts Occurring podcast.

“But the way he rode all race, it was like something happened overnight. “He followed Carapaz really well, and then when Yatesy went, and he didn’t pull.

“Then Carapaz was riding and we were all like, why is Carapaz riding? Make Del Toro ride, he’s the pink. It’s his race to lose and he’s got to chase.”

“I felt like Carapaz was doing the right thing, sit on, and then bam, try and get rid of him, attack. But Del Toro had the legs to follow. Then they get to five seconds of Yates, Carapaz sits up and Del Toro doesn’t close it.”

When Thomas’s teammate Laurens De Plus suggested that Del Toro’s lack of experience had a part to play in his defeat, the Welshman was scathing, saying: “Do you need experience to realise that third place is pulling away and that, if you stop pedalling, he’s going to take time out of you?

“Dude, my son Macs would know that, and he’s five-years-old.”

Tell us what you really think, G.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

In any case, after yesterday’s final stage in Rome, UAE Team Emirates’ DS Fabio Baldato admitted in an interview with BiciSport that his team tactically “underestimated” Yates.

The former pro told the channel that they had instructed Del Toro to focus on following Carapaz for most of the climb, even reminding the 21-year-old just once over the radio that Yates was up the road with Van Aert, so as not to “disturb him”.

For his part, Del Toro – whose second place overall, stage win, and white jersey win on debut at the Giro is still a brilliant achievement for a 21-year-old – said in Rome that he didn’t feel “I did anything wrong”.

“Richard had to protect his second place and so marked me closely. He said I should have worked with him but if I’d worked with him, he would have attacked me and could have gained time on me,” the Mexican, who appeared extremely pleased with his GC podium, even immediately after his defeat on Saturday, said.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

“He thought he was doing the most intelligent thing for his place on the podium. You can win that way, but you can also lose.

“I wanted to win but I can’t honestly believe I’ve finished second. For sure I’ll be back to try to win the Giro.

“I’m really happy with my Giro. I was always up there, always learning. I’ve got to be proud of myself and of the team that was always there for me.”

Judging by the comments to today’s main live blog story, it’s clear that poor Sam’s harrowing experience with KLM has dredged up a few bad memories for some other cyclists who’ve opened their bike bags or boxes after a flight and been horrified by the battered contents within.

“This is one reason why I have moved to renting a bike when flying. I still prefer my own bike but rentals are close enough and avoids all this grief,” said Gary on Facebook.

“It’s common knowledge these baggage handlers love throwing and wrecking bikes, it’s been going on for years,” added Bryan.

Meanwhile, Fraser wrote: “I was at Toulouse Airport and watched them ‘unload’ bikes by dropping them out the rear cargo door two metres directly onto the tarmac.”

Ouch. Something inside of me died reading that.

“Absolutely no respect for people’s possessions in a job of responsibility,” wrote Threads user Marco (who, you’ll be disappointed to hear, isn’t in charge of any nation’s justice system. At least as far as I know, anyway).

“Make him sweep the streets around the airport until he learns the true lesson of Life. And the female watching can carry his shovel and bin bags!”

Too harsh?

And finally, Kieran reckons he’s seen worse: “It’s shit baggage handling but malicious? I don’t think so.”

Tell that to the bike, Kieran.

Imagine you’re on your way home from a perfect week riding your bike in some glorious, exotic location. And, as the weight of reality starts to hit, you glance out the plane window, only to see your pride and joy being tossed about like a bag of tattered old footballs at the local five-a-side.

Is that “every cyclist’s nightmare”?

Well, that’s what Sam Wilson thinks anyway, after the Scottish cyclist (helpfully known as ‘thescottishcyclist’ on Instagram) was forced to endure the agony of seeing – and filming – his bike bag being, ahem, robustly handled by a KLM baggage handler on the way home from Norway last week.

In the clip, the baggage handler can be seen roughly throwing Sam’s bike bag off both the belt and the cart, in between – bizarrely – aiming two kicks at the bag. And then, to add insult to bike damage, the bag then missed his connection. Gutting.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Sam (@thescottishcyclist)

“The kick was personal,” Sam, who had been spent the previous few days riding in Norway, alongside Edvald Boasson Hagen no less, as part of his work with cycling tour company LeBlanq, said on Instagram.

“Luckily the bike survived, although it did miss the connection and go missing for a while. Shifter was also verrry bent.

“KLM, teach this man to be gentle with bikes please.”

> Tour de France pro slams “ridiculous” airline as suitcase still in Amsterdam

It’s fair to say, judging by the comments, that more than a few of Sam’s fellow cyclists were wincing at his plane window video.

“I’d have been crying,” said Caroline. “I’d put in a complaint, Sam.”

“I had to scan a QR code and fill in online forms when the bike missed the connection. So I’m not sure it’s worth the effort, but maybe still a good shout,” Sam noted, before being implored by another Instagram user to do it on behalf of “every other cyclist!”

“Did exactly the same with my hard case last year, sat on the plane watching them physically throwing it about as they loaded the luggage on board,” added Tony.

“I don’t get it. They realise people are watching them do it. See if they do the same again this year… hence why I pack it with a lot of foam!”

“Sickening to watch isn’t it?” replied Sam. “I’d seen him throw about 10 suitcases then the bike appeared.”

“That looked deliberate and malicious!” wrote Keith, to which Sam suggested: “Maybe a bike hurt in the past…”

> “Almost like the plane ran over it!”: UCI Worlds Gran Fondo rider’s Cervélo wrecked in flight transit, but Air Canada denies any responsibility

Of course, as evidenced by the comments under his post, Sam’s clip of KLM’s (potentially) anti-cycling baggage handler isn’t the first time we’ve encountered poor treatment of bikes on planes (now, there’s a film sequel I’d go see).

Back in 2023, we reported that a Canadian rider, who participated in the gran fondo worlds in Scotland, revealed that her brand-new 2023 Cervélo Soloist, 2020 Cervélo P-Series, and time-trial helmet were severely damaged with several chips, cracks, and dents after flying back with Air Canada.

“The force required to generate this type of damage had to be extreme. I take extra care packing my bikes including wrapping every piece of the frame in foam,” said Diane Bomans.

“It’s almost like the plane ran over it, that was my first opinion. You might rarely see a minor scuff or maybe a slightly bent derailleur, but this is the most severe damage I’ve seen.”

After waiting two weeks for a response from Air Canada, the airline then declined Bomans’ claim and denied any responsibility for the damage. They’re lucky they weren’t caught on camera kicking her bikes, anyway…