“Sad we can’t afford to watch you anymore”: Tom Pidcock unveils classics schedule... prompting fan complaints about TNT’s cycling price hike; “Give children the choice and they will cycle to school”; French race fine plans slammed + more on the live blog

After getting his Q36.5 career off to a dominantly victorious start at the AlUla Tour a few weeks ago, Tom Pidcock has finally confirmed his schedule for the classics season – and, despite the drop down to ProTour level, it’s a packed one.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by ᵀᴼᴹ ᴾᴵᴰᶜᴼᶜᴷ (@tompidcock)

The 25-year-old is set to return to racing next week at the Ruta del Sol, his final stage racing tune-up before Opening Weekend of the classics and his first stint on the cobbles at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

A week later, the double Olympic mountain champion will head to Tuscany, where he’ll be aiming to secure his second career triumph at Strade Bianche. Pidcock will stay in Itay for Tirreno-Adriatico, the traditional preparation race for the first monument of the season, Milan-Sanremo.

There will be no Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix this year for Pidcock, however, in a programe that skews towards the hillier side of his skillsket.

While Van der Poel and Van Aert will be rampaging over the cobbles and Flemish bergs, the British star will have almost a month off, as he builds towards two races he’s won in the past: Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold, at which he’ll be the defending champion.

 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Finally, he’ll round off his classics campaign in the Ardennes with Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the relentlessly hilly monument he finished second at, behind Remco Evenepoel, in 2023.

As is customary for a second-tier squad reliant on wildcard invites to the sport’s biggest races, the rest of Pidcock’s season currently remains up in the air. The Tour de France is off the table for this year, but invites to the other grand tours, the Giro and the Vuelta, remain a possibility, with an Italian debut (and therefore a very busy first half of the season) looking most likely at the moment.

Of course, Tom Pidcock isn’t the only one who’s been receiving complaints about Eurosport’s closure in the UK and cycling’s impending move to £31-a-month TNT Sports.

Last month, we reported that a number of disgruntled fans had lodged complaints with the Competition and Markets Authority, arguing that the decision – which equates to a 343 per cent price hike to watch bike racing – is an abuse of the Warner Bros. Discovery’s monopoly position and constitutes price gouging.

And now, Toby Draper – an administrator of the ‘Boycott TNT’ Facebook group, which calls for cycling fans to “stand together” against the “unreasonable” price hike and cancel their Discovery+ subscription – has submitted a complaint to Ofcom, the regulatory authority for the UK’s broadcasting industry, claiming that the move is “unfair and anti-competitive”.

Here’s Toby’s complaint:

I am writing to formally complain about the excessive 343 per cent subscription price increase imposed by Warner Bros. Discovery for cycling coverage in the UK. This drastic hike is exploitative and damaging to the sport's accessibility.

British cycling’s recent successes have inspired a nation. However, Warner Bros. Discovery’s pricing now excludes many fans, especially those on lower incomes. This undermines the sport’s growth and accessibility, making it a privilege, not a sport for all.

It also appears that cycling fans are being forced to subsidise other sports within the Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio. Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly pays £323 million annually for Premier League football rights. It’s unacceptable that cycling fans must fund coverage of a sport they may not even be interested in to access cycling content.

This practice is unfair and potentially anti-competitive. I urge Ofcom to investigate this matter and ensure cycling remains accessible to all UK viewers. Fans shouldn’t be exploited, and British cycling’s growth shouldn’t be hampered by these unreasonable fees.

I request Ofcom investigate: The justification for this 343 per cent increase; Its impact on cycling coverage accessibility for UK viewers; Whether it aligns with Ofcom’s regulations on fair pricing and access to sports broadcasting.

Now, what’s the best way of sending this to every pro cyclist on Instagram?

He may be used to starting the season in flying form – in fact, he’s either won or finished on the podium of a February stage race for the past six years – but Adam Yates reckons he hasn’t quite reached peak form just yet, after securing his second consecutive Tour of Oman victory with a typically consistent, powerful performance on the race’s decisive climbs.

“I’m just happy to win,” the 32-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider said after usurping David Gaudu to take the overall win on Green Mountain this morning.

“I’m not actually in top shape right now. I need to be good for a long time later in the year. I’m happy to be at this level and fight for the win. It’s a good sign for the future.”

(A.S.O./Oman Cycling Association/Thomas Maheux)

Though he managed to clinch back-to-back overall titles, the British climber couldn’t repeat last year’s victory on Green Mountain, with Valentin Paret-Peintre outsprinting him at the end, while he was also beat by Gaudu on the race’s first, shorter summit finish to Eastern Mountain.

But Yates says his eyes were always on the GC.

“We knew from the start of the week that this would be the key stage,” he said today. “There was a hard climb on stage three but it was shorter and more explosive. We waited for today and it turned out to be a good day.

“Throughout the stage we rode a really good race. We pulled from the beginning because we knew the best thing was to control the break and take the time bonus at the end.

(A.S.O./Oman Cycling Association/Pauline Ballet)

“Jay [Vine] and Rafa [Majka] did a really good job. We need the pace to be high from the beginning of the climb, it’s 18 or 19 minutes long, so it’s a hard climb.

“I knew the climb went steeper, so I just went all in. I don’t really have the acceleration anymore. I have more of a slower burn but it’s still effective. I did it until about 150 metres to go and then then we sprinted to the line. He’s a little faster and won the stage, but I won the GC.”

While that acceleration may be slightly dulled as he creeps further into his 30s, if that was Adam Yates far from top form, Tadej Pogačar’s rivals will be quaking in their cycling shoes at the world champion’s UAE firepower come July.

Reports this week that the UCI could be set to impose hefty fines and sanctions on the Étoile de Bessèges, over the safety chaos that marred the French stage race and saw most teams leave early, have been met with derision by cycling fans and pundits, who have accused the governing body of hypocrisy and of simply attempting to “boost their own coffers”.

Last week, the Étoile de Bessèges – the annual early season stage race in the Gard department of southern France – descended into chaos following a series of safety incidents involving members of the public driving on the race route, one of which caused a crash, and which led to over half of the teams quitting the race in protest.

During Wednesday’s opening stage, riders were forced to avoid a lorry and several cars that were lined along the road in the final 10km.

And the following day, another motorist strayed onto the route and drove towards the bunch – after reportedly being told twice to leave the course by race officials – before rapidly reversing off the road.

The driver’s actions led to a crash in the peloton as the riders slowed to avoid the motorist, resulting in Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Maxim van Gils abandoning the race with injury.

That incident appears to have sparked a ‘make the race safer or we’ll go home’ narrative from the teams towards the organisers, one that was unfortunately enacted almost immediately the next day, when another seemingly unsuspecting motorist made their way onto the circuit just 12km into the third stage, driving in the opposite direction to the race at a roundabout and almost colliding with the bunch.

The peloton immediately stopped for over an hour as union representative discussed the seemingly never-ending safety issues with the organisers, eventually leading to a number of teams – including the Ineos Grenadiers, Lidl-Trek, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, and EF Education-EasyPost – to head back to their buses and quit the race.

> Ineos Grenadiers and other teams refuse to continue French stage race after motorist almost drives into cyclists at roundabout – day after another driver strayed onto course and caused crash

“The safety of our riders is paramount and we felt not enough was being done,” Lidl-Trek said announcing their withdrawal.

The Étoile de Bessèges stuttered on to Sunday’s cold and rainy finish at L’Hermitage, with only 52 of the original 146 riders completing the race, won by Arkéa-B&B’s Kévin Vauquelin.

And now, it appears that the UCI could be set to impose a heavy fine and sanctions on the longstanding French stage race, which is largely run by volunteers.

According to the governing body’s rules, 2.1-level races like the Étoile de Bessèges are not required to have full road closures, but should at least have rolling closures for when the race passes (a situation not helped in this case by the relatively low number of marshals on hand to stop drivers from entering the course), while also preventing any vehicles from being parked on the route.

“Measures are being taken to prevent a recurrence of the problems that occurred during these stages, even though some teams have chosen to withdraw from the race,” the UCI said in a statement confirming that it is investigating the issues at Bessèges.

“The UCI will thoroughly investigate the problems with the road closures and take the necessary action. We will do this bearing in mind the sanctions set out in article 2.12.011.”

Het Nieuwsblad reports that the governing body – which has taken a stronger public stance on race safety with its new SafeR organisation introducing a number of initiatives over the past year – is aiming to make it clear that it “will no longer tolerate races that cannot guarantee the safety of the cyclists” and does not want to let the incidents at the Étoile de Bessèges “go unpunished”.

According to the Belgian paper, that means almost certainly a fine (probably between €4,000 and €10,000, as stipulated in the UCI’s rules). It also means that the race could be placed under “supervision” by external technical experts, who will oversee its running next year – at the event’s expense, of course.

This apparent desire to clamp down on one of the sport’s smaller, family-run races has attracted criticism from cycling fans and pundits who – despite agreeing that ensuring the safety of the peloton is key – believe any sanctions would simply be a money-making exercise for the UCI.

“This is total BS. This race has lots of goodwill, volunteers, and enthusiasm. What it doesn’t have are pots of money. This just reads like a way of boosting the UCI’s coffers,” cycling writer Peter Cossins said on BlueSky.

“As if losing half of the teams and a good bit of reputation wasn’t punishment enough for a small race like that,” added Luerikerin.

And Ninoukovitch said: “Did the UCI sanction the Tour of Lombardy in 2020 when there were cars going the wrong way in the final? Hypocrisy.”

“Sheriff of the UCI taxing the poor again. And we wonder why small races are disappearing,” wrote Sean.

> Oblivious motorist forced to reverse off road after driving towards charging pro peloton at Étoile de Bessèges stage race, causing crash and injuring rider

“The driver who was at fault was twice warned to get off the course, but ignored the organisers who didn’t have the legal authority to force him off,” Win pointed out.

“This has been a problem for ages,” noted journalist Owen Rogers. “Remember the huge speed bump in the final of a Spanish sprint stage three years back?

“The UCI can’t sanction offending races because it needs organisers to organise races, but if it doesn't sanction organisers they can break regulations and riders are at risk.”

And Raoul concluded: “We all want races to be safe… The issue is how to let small races thrive without pricing them out of existence?

“Losing events like the Étoile de Bessèges can’t be a thing that anyone can condone.”

Alright everyone, get your calendars ready, because the route for one of the best, most historic bike races on these rainy, windswept islands was unveiled this morning.

The 2025 Rás Tailteann – the 70th edition of the fabled Irish stage race – will get underway in the cycling stronghold of Drogheda on Wednesday 21 May, before the riders take on five varied and testing stages over 760km.

> How to save a bike race: Rás Tailteann organiser on keeping Ireland’s biggest race alive, and why some races just mean more

After a relatively gentle opening stage to Boyle, things toughen up almost immediately on day two in Co. Galway, where the GC battle will almost certainly explode into life over five categorised climbs, including the infamous Windy Gap, before an exposed final 40km on wide open roads.

Another famous climb, the Corkscrew, awaits on the third stage, which will finish along the Wild Atlantic Way in Miltown Malbay after a hilly finale.

But it’s the final 20km of the fourth stage – which crests the category one Wolftrap Climb in the Sliabh Blooms Mountains with just 14km to go – that could prove crucial in deciding the fate of the yellow jersey, with just a sprinter-friendly ride to Bective to go on the Sunday.

The Rás, arguably the symbol of bike racing in Ireland, was revived in 2022 in a shorter five-day, non-UCI-ranked format after an absence of four years due to financial troubles, and was won last year by Foran CT rider and Box Hill Strava conqueror Dom Jackson.

“We are really excited to release the route for the 70th edition of Rás Tailteann,” organiser Ger Campbell said today in a statement.

“I am super proud of the event we managed to get back on the road in 2022 and have grown from strength to strength each year since. Being able to start the 70th edition of the race in my hometown is very special to me. It is also great to return to some traditional cycling strongholds along the way.

“Each stage has its own twist which some suiting climbers, sprinters or punchers. I think stage four into Mountrath is going to be very telling with a very difficult category one climb just 15km out from the finish – that very well could decide the race.

> “It’s like the world championship for Irish riders”: Iconic Rás Tailteann stage race makes triumphant return

“Again, I just want to thank all our sponsors, supporters, and volunteers who help to make this possible. Planning is at a very advanced stage, and we will be releasing entry details in the very near future.

“This is a very special event, and we hope that 2025, recognising the 70th edition, is a chance for everyone who has any connection with the event to come out and see the 2025 ‘Men of the Rás’.

“We can’t wait to see you all on the start line in Drogheda on May 21st – just over three months to go!”

Trafford Council’s school streets scheme was featured on BBC Breakfast this morning, with young Salford-based cyclist Kofi extolling the virtues on national televison of “having the fresh air around me, instead of being in a car” every morning, as well as the environmental benefits of riding a bike.

“I feel like I’ve achieved something, because I’ve cycled all the way to school,” Kofi told the BBC reporter, while Khadijah said that cycling to school “brightens up my mood”.

“I don’t know how, but it feels so nice to me,” she said.

There's a lot of talk about growth but rarely any discussion on how we enable our children to live prosperous, happy and productive lives. It will have benefits both now and in the future. The school run is the epitome of inefficiency. These kids know there's a much better way.

[image or embed]

— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter.bsky.social) February 12, 2025 at 10:14 AM

The segment – a rare bike-friendly one on BBC Breakfast (where’s the “vigilante” remarks?) – has been praised by cycling campaigners, who argue it demonstrated that if you “give children the choice, they will cycle to school”.

“There’s a lot of talk about growth but rarely any discussion on how we enable our children to live prosperous, happy, and productive lives,” former West Midlands walking and cycling commissioner Adam Tranter said in response to the clip on BlueSky.

“It will have benefits both now and in the future. The school run is the epitome of inefficiency. These kids know there’s a much better way.”

“100 per cent,” replied Alice Ferguson. “And what will enable this is safer, less car dominated streets.”

> “We can’t wait for some horrible accident outside the school before we do anything”: No funding for safety schemes at school where driver hit child on bike, as council vows to “deal with fallout” from scrapping of controversial LTN

“I really would recommend to everyone the experience of setting off every morning as a convoy of bikes on the way to school, then work, shouting greetings to neighbours and school mates as we pass them on the street. A few miles on a bike is nothing,” added Adam Brown.

While Trafford Council’s local active travel campaign group, Walk Ride GM, wrote: “Give children the choice, and they will cycle to school.

“The only thing stopping them are adults who make our cities dangerous to be a kid!”

> Aero bike vs aero position — why spending thousands on a new bike might be slower than sticking with your old one

Some classic NMotD action – and even more classic police inaction – to kick off your Wednesday:

> Near Miss of the Day 921: Cyclist suffers “aggressive” close pass by BMW driver, but left “very disappointed” by police response which suggests “you need to be physically injured for more serious action”