Today’s newsletter is inspired by Cian Uijtdebroek’s recent ride around Denía, Spain.

wheels we’re following

kit we’re eyeing

where we’re riding

Denía, Spain

café-stop reading

We love following a Grand-Tour race not only for the racing but also for the narrative that can develop over the course of several weeks. So, it’s no surprise that in this off-season we are looking for a bit of cycling drama to feed our thirst. Fortunately, Visma-Lease a Bike (still sounds weird) is perfecting the art of off-season intrigue. The current fight over Cian Uijtdebroeks by Visma and Bora is the story du jour, but it may have a longer last impact for cycling beyond being tabloid fodder. Rouleur (among many other folks) have their thoughts on the Richard Plugge’s various roles within the unfolding narrative.

off the back of the newsletter

Jumbo Visma not only won the Grand Tour competition this past year, they are also leading in the off-season drama competitions. The current fight over the fate of Cian Uijtdebroeks is the most recent chapter. Uijtdebroeks has been seen training with Visma. With all this transfer drama, folks are calling for a change to the transfer market rules. The Women’s Giro d’Italia will end on Blockhaus this year. With van der Poel starting his cross season a week early, we’ll be getting a MvdP-Pidcock match-up sooner than we thought: this Saturday! We’ll have to wait until the 23rd for WvA to make it a trio. AG Insurance-Soudal is promoted to the Women’s World Tour. Paris-Nice will have a mid-week TTT. Ineos have officially released their new kit for 2024. Have you seen this replica of the “first bicycle”?

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