“We checked three times, there was nothing wrong”: Mechanic responds to Remco Evenepoel’s World Championships mechanical frustration, as teammate insists Belgian was “clearly Pogačar’s equal”; 3 Peaks CX course record broken + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"She's a champion! She's the best in the world": Another look at Magdeleine Vallieres' stunning World Championships win
If the men’s race had a result everybody expected, then the women’s race was the one providing the jaw-dropping, inspirational underdog story from this weekend’s World Championships. Canadian rider Magdeleine Vallieres, who some bookies had as big as 400-1 to be the new world champion, winning only her second ever pro race on the biggest stage of all.
It was also Canada’s first elite road worlds rainbow jersey, although ProCyclingStats reliably tells me Geneviève Jeanson won the women’s junior race in 1999, Vallieres’ teammates rightfully taking it all in too.
Alison Jackson is also a trade teammate at EF Education-Oatly, the popular winner of Paris-Roubaix a couple of seasons ago giving a cracking post-race interview explaining the emotion of the moment.
Alison Jackson shares her delight as teammate Magdeleine Vallieres wins the world title 🌈👏 pic.twitter.com/dDVpzNcVXP
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) September 27, 2025
Weekend round-up: Mike Ashley on a Colnago, a pump that actually worked, Vitus is coming back, UCI president defends Israel-Premier Tech + more
There was more than just the World Championships on the site this weekend, starting with Jo penning his tribute to the iconic Zefal HPX: “A bike pump that actually worked, gone but not forgotten”.
Our Tech of the Week round-up looked at the big news from Evans Cycles, namely some promises of big things from the freshly-relaunched Vitus range. There’ll also be Colnagos for sale in its new West End store that opens today just off Regent Street. Editor Jack had a bit too much fun with AI for this one…
The weekend began with UCI president David Lappartient defending Israel-Premier Tech, arguing: “If we start excluding one team, next year it will be another, on another issue”. On the news front, there was also a story about the sentencing of a “reckless” van driver who passed a cyclist dangerously close while the passenger “whipped” rider with phone cable.
Finishing off the weekend was of course Bike at Bedtime, which had a worlds theme this week…
"It's pretty special": Ben Healy reflects on World Championships bronze to cap off incredible year
It was some weekend for EF, Magdeliene Vallieres and Ben Healy seeing the team in pink take home a rainbow jersey and bronze medal from the road races. After a seventh at last year’s worlds and several near misses at the Tour, Healy’s 2025 has taken him to the next level. Fourth at Strade Bianche, a stage win in the Basque Country, top 10s at all three of the Ardennes classics (including a podium at Liège), a famous Tour stage win, second on Ventoux and two days in yellow, what a year it has been.
“It’s pretty special. I’ve done a lot of hard work this season for this and to stand on the podium with Remco and Tadej is pretty incredible,” he said. “This season is just getting crazier and crazier to be honest. From a stage win and the yellow jersey at the Tour to now podium at worlds, it is hard to compare.”
259km, 5,100m, 42km/h
3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross results: Jenson Young and Bryony Halcrow take victories, with Lachlan Morton finishing in 2nd
As many of us who have given cyclocross a go will know, it’s a very specific thing and success in other disciplines certainly doesn’t equal CX success. Even with all his off-road, WorldTour and record-breaking experience, EF Pro Cycling’s Lachlan Morton had no answer to Jenson Young’s prowess over the Peaks, Young finishing in a course record clocking of 02:49:17 while Morton was more than four minutes behind in 02:53:45.
The riders who were the subject of our pre-Peaks feature – Robb Jebb and Nick Craig – finished in 6th and 9th respectively, meaning there were four riders over 40 in the top 10. Experience is the order of the day over this brute of a course.
The first female finisher was Bryony Halcrow (03:47:19), who successively defended her title again after also storming to victory in 2023 and 2024.
As you’d expect, because he seems like a thoroughly chilled out chap, there was no bitterness from Lachy on his second-place finish. “…the best race out there”, he said of the 62-year-old event.
Israel-Premier Tech argue "threats of violence have disrupted our sport" after team removed from major one-day race over protest fears
Footage allegedly showing US immigration officers trying to "kidnap a food delivery worker" goes viral
ICE Nazis in Chicago tried to kidnap a food delivery worker but my man was too fast for those slow bastards
— WuTangIsForTheChildren (@wutangforchildren.bsky.social) Sep 29, 2025 at 2:07
In the comments under the post above, numerous people refer to highly publicised reports of ICE officers being heavy-handed in their tactics, or wrongly attempting to detain full US citizens.
Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown was quickly made a key part of his administration’s objectives after he took office for the second time in January, and has proved highly divisive. On this occasion, the cyclist managed to avoid ICE’s infamous heavy-handedness with some impressive moves. Triathletes might be studying that flying mount more closely…
The comments section cracks Pogačar's dominance
BREAKING NEWS:
That explains it, the Y1Rs is just too aero.
Mr Blackbird: “It sounds like an unfortunate chain of events and it would have been interesting to see how close Evenepoel came to winning, without them. Either way, Evenepoel has had a terrific world champs. Hopefully he will focus on this, rather than what might have been.”
"We do a quality check of every bike before it goes out, and if there are complaints, those bikes are taken offline immediately": Lime boss defends safety record
Lime was thrust into the spotlight again during London’s recent Tube strikes. While thousands and thousands of safe, convenient and efficient journeys go unreported every day, when the bike hire provider does appear in the wider media these days it almost always seems to be over a council restriction, parking row or safety fears. Addressing the safety coverage, Lime’s boss Wayne Ting told City AM…
“Safety is incredibly important to us. It guides how we design and maintain our vehicles. We do a quality check of every bike before it goes out, and if there are complaints, those bikes are taken offline immediately.”
Last month a London-based doctor said they “see at least one patient a week” with injuries relating to the heavy hire bike causing so-called ‘Lime bike leg’ injuries.
Unlike experienced cyclists, who he explained are more likely to suffer “high energy” trauma such as head, chest, or multiple limb fractures after collisions with motor traffic, Lime-related incidents are usually “low energy” — people losing balance or having the bike fall on them while stationary.
“It’s almost always the lower limbs, from ankle fractures to tibia [shinbone] fractures, and soft tissue injuries around the knee — we don’t see many injuries from the knee upwards, but we’ve had the odd cracked pelvis,” he said. “However, it’s normally fractures either at the top of or in the middle of the tibia.”
In March a report by London Centric suggested that one in 10 Lime bikes may have dangerous mechanical issues, including in some cases malfunctioning brakes. Lime is confident it spots and repairs such issues promptly.
North Yorkshire Police reduce by bike thefts in York by 15 per cent thanks to "proactive approach to tackling the issue"
The number of bicycle thefts in York is down 15 per cent over the past 12 months, North Yorkshire Police says. The force believes this is down to the local Neighbourhood Policing Team taking “a proactive approach to tackling the issue”, with patrols, by using specialist tracker bikes, working with CCTV operators to monitor key areas 24/7 and hosting bike security events to reunite stolen bikes with their owners.
Arrests are being made through these patrols and the use of a bait bike with a tracker, which has been “strategically” placed at locations across the city.
> Three quarters of Brits don’t expect police to bother investigating bike thefts
The Lib Dems have warned that bike theft has been effectively “decriminalised” in the UK, that after it was revealed 89 per cent of cases go unsolved.
Five cool things for winter cycling from Boardman, Velocio, Endura, Gorewear and Galibier (and maybe 20 extra watts)
"We checked three times, there was nothing wrong": Mechanic responds to Remco Evenepoel's World Championships mechanical frustration, as teammate insists Belgian was "clearly Pogačar's equal" and would have contested the win
It was a frustrating day for double rainbow jersey-hunting Remco Evenepoel yesterday…
The Belgian changed bikes twice, both times due to saddle issues, and was visibly frustrated as he waited for the team car for the second of those changes. It all started when he hit a pothole on the big loop towards Mount Kigali, the scene of Tadej Pogačar’s monstrous race-winning attack with 105km to go.
Having changed to his third bike, a black Specialized rather than his usual Olympic champ’s gold paint job, Evenepoel was quickly finding issues with his new set-up, seen slamming on his saddle at one point in the hope of tilting it forward.
Remco is not happy 😡 On his spare bike, Remco Evenepoel tries to make some adjustments to his saddle 👀 pic.twitter.com/vUOfJpMO24
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) September 28, 2025
“But this is the spare bike,” TNT Sports commentator Rob Hatch pointed out. “You wonder what’s happened here if there’s an issue with this saddle. Is he not feeling great and his normal saddle position is annoying him? Has there been a mess-up with the mechanics?”
Was this the moment that cost Remco #Evenepoel🇧🇪 Gold🥇at the #UCIKigali2025? The frustration said it all!! #Kigali2025 pic.twitter.com/oHlQCdte8o
— Richard Kwizera (@Muzungu4) September 28, 2025
Well, Remco told Belgian news site Sporza afterwards he “had the feeling my saddle wasn’t positioned properly”.
“My saddle normally slopes a bit, but I think this one was perfectly level,” he explained. “I started having a lot of pain in my lower back, and after that, we took my second bike off the car.”
Some have argued Evenepoel would have been better off riding that black Specialized for a bit longer, to let the team cars (which were stuck behind dropped riders) to get closer, however with no radios that’s difficult to know on the road.
“I really couldn’t ride that black bike for another 5km,” Remco said. “I was completely tense. That’s possible because of the injuries I’ve already had. So I really had to stop. It was the only option. It was a long way back, and two chases in a few laps was too much. I also felt great […] It’s a shame. I came for the double.”
Evenepoel explained how while Pogačar attacked on Mount Kigali, he was cramping up and couldn’t push 400w (we can empathise with that one) due to the extreme position caused by the first saddle impact.
However, the plot thickened when Belgium and Soudal Quick-Step mechanic Dario Kloeck, who HLN spoke to and explain is also Evenepoel’s cousin, was insistent the spare bike’s saddle was to Evenepoel’s measurements.
“His saddle was broken,” Kloeck said. “We put a new one on, but he rode around on that broken saddle for a long time. We checked it [the apparently incorrectly set up spare bike’s saddle] three times, but there was nothing wrong. I measured everything three times and the saddle was just right. He lost unnecessary time there, which is a shame.”
Teammate Florian Vermeersch was confident Evenepoel would have competed for the win with Pogačar, “If you see him riding now, he’s clearly Pogačar equal. He led the chase. It’s a shame that mechanical misfortune prevented him from contesting the title. Nobody deserves that.”
29 September 2025, 08:01
£275 for a long-sleeve jersey? I'll buy the lot, please.
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British brand promises its new Pro Team Shadow collection offers high levels of windproofing, water resistance and breathability, plus plenty of stretch, that will suit riders regularly putting in the hard yards this winter
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@kingleo That's what I was taught as driver, fifty years ago. You don't have to stop unless they put a toe on the crossing. It's not changed.
Er, that is a digital caliper.
@chrisonabike 'Traffic in Towns' or the Buchanan Report 1963, forecast everything that's happening now. More roads, more traffic, so we need more roads so we get more traffic, so we need more roads................ The essential futility of building more roads has been apparent for over sixty years, but some people still see it as 'the' answer.
Erm, I think the 'paid promotion' banner at the top should have been a bit of a giveaway that wasn't a likely direction.
@Rendel Harris, if a pedestrian puts a foot on the crossing, the cyclists have to stop. Is that correct?
Agreed.. I thought we would get an article looking at the benefits Vs safety risks of the sub £500 Chinese carbon wheels.. at £1200 we are in the branded bracket. I've got a set of prime branded 50mm wheels from Wiggle that cost £200 (RRP £500 I think) in the wiggle closing down sale.. they have been faultless. I've no doubt some of the cheaper Chinese wheels would be just as good. I need a set for my gravel / winter bike.. it's just the service/spares issue making me think twice about some unbranded hoops. Will probably go with whatever Luke from Trace Vello recommends / has tested at the time.
@Smoggysteve While I follow that not all parts are equal, there are also lots of really good Chinese wheelsets, some of them using hubs from well known brands, and being much cheaper at the same time. (And there are also good Chinese and Taiwanese hubs out there.) Personally, I think "Where is that extra money going? its the hubs." is the wrong conclusion. Wheelsets with similar components can still have a huge price difference. And manufacturers buy components against OEM prices, usually with an extra discount when they buy in bulk . Well, then, where does the extra money go? Many extra costs are possible: the profit of the contracted factory that makes the rims or even the entire wheels; potentially higher production standards and better QA; profits for shops and middle-men; extra logistics; marketing/PR/sponsoring; extra R&D; covering for warranty cases and customer service; a boatful of middle-managers; extra profits for shareholders...
@Smoggysteve So its down to hub qualilty mostly, imo... Agreed, and we have Hope and KoM. I've been very pleased with my Hope Pro 5, but I've only had them for 9 months. I'm staying with them on my Fairlight Secan because I'm convinced spares will remain available.
Don't look at me, but I hear a certain Mr Pogačar can put you in touch with a decent agent.
@Mr Blackbird Mine is registered to the mayor of London!
16 thoughts on ““We checked three times, there was nothing wrong”: Mechanic responds to Remco Evenepoel’s World Championships mechanical frustration, as teammate insists Belgian was “clearly Pogačar’s equal”; 3 Peaks CX course record broken + more on the live blog”
Ah, now we know the reason
Ah, now we know the reason for Pogacar’s dominance: the course was billed as 267.5km but he’s only ridden 259.4 – clearly pulled the old school cross-country trick of hiding behind a bush for a crafty fag and skipping a lap.
Nah – he was riding so fast
Nah – he was riding so fast he was quantum tunnelling through the hills.
lol, I can remember being
lol, I can remember being p1ssed off that Ride London wasn’t the 100miles advertised, then I realise it must have been all the tunnels at the start
About Remco: yeah that
About Remco: yeah that Spanish kid too could probably have contested for the Junior race against Harry H… had he not ridden into the barriers while looking behind him.
It sounds like an unfortunate
It sounds like an unfortunate chain of events and it would have been interesting to see how close Evenepoel came to winning, without them.
Either way, Evenepoel has had a terrific world champs.
Hopefully he will focus on this, rather than what might have been.
I thought there was a lot to
I thought there was a lot to love about the week, parking for now how benign the benign dictatorship is. I also like to watch the world championship contested on a difficult course most years – which isn’t to say I’m averse to having a course where a pure sprinter can win every now and then, but rather like Milan San-Remo I want to see them earn it by hanging in over a late lump or two.
However, as Pogi himself said, the parcours lent itself to a long lone break; there just wasn’t enough flat road on the circuit for a well organised group to keep a lone rider honest. I would have preferred it if the group of 5 could have made it across to Pogi so Remco and he could duke it out on the last lap. I’ve no doubt the result would have been the same (only with smaller time gaps) but it might have made me hit the pause button whilst going to the kitchen to get another beer rather than leaving it running …
“Boy, 13, arrested over
“Boy, 13, arrested over multiple hit-and-runs which saw three cyclists and pedestrian struck in four separate incidents”
Given there is a limit on what the law can do with regards to punishing him, I wonder if the parents will face anything.
https://road.cc/content/news/boy-13-arrested-over-multiple-hit-and-runs-316125
Impressive agility from the
Impressive agility from the person fleeing kidnappers (that is what they are) in Chicago.
My question is: what was he picking up from the ground at the start of the recording?
Not a doughnut, they deffo
Not a doughnut, they deffo would have caught him if they’d thought there was a doughnut to be had for their trouble.
“ICE Nazis in Chicago…”.
“ICE Nazis in Chicago…”. They are federal agents who do their jobs. Like the brave English coppers who arrest elderly people for their social media posts.
Citation? And don’t give us a
Citation? And don’t give us a JD Vance claim.
Interesting way to describe
Interesting way to describe assault and battery as doing your job.
It’s funny watching those
It’s funny watching those overweight cos-play ICE agents waddle after a cyclists – but the reality is that in America there are masked, uniformed snatch squads on the streets. Anyone can be kidnapped off the streets and taken away – a long way away, into another jurisdiction and effectively disappeared. And the executive decides who gets kidnapped.
“…after collisions with
“…after collisions with motor traffic…”
should be
“… after collisions with DRIVERS…”
You collide with motor
You collide with motor vehicles, most drivers are safe within the tin box. Motorbikes and open topped vehicles, being the exception, even then hitting the vehicle is going to be the thing that does the damage.
Remco is the consummate
Remco is the consummate smacked ass. Spits the dummy out when things don’t go his way. Very unprofessional. It’s no wonder really, as he was a pretentious footballer previously.