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The Life Time Grand Prix has confirmed the lottery winners for Unbound Gravel and revealed five qualifier events. Notably, Lauren Stephens, who won the 100-mile race last year, was confirmed for the 200-mile distance next year. For those who were not selected in the random lottery, there are some industry sponsor allocations available, as well as qualifiers, which opens the door for more racers to attend the event, which is scheduled for 30-31 May 2025.
The Danish Cycling Union has decided to withdraw its junior and U23 riders from the 2025 World Road Race Championships in Kigali, Rwanda. The Danish team will only send riders from the elite men’s and women’s categories. In a statement, Cycing Denmark has said: “Denmark’s Cycling Union has made the difficult decision that the Danish U19 and U23 national teams will not participate in the 2025 Road Cycling World Championships in Rwanda. The decision was made on the basis of financial considerations and the special preparations required to compete at altitudes between 1,500 and 1,700 metres.”
With the increased popularity of gravel racing, the U.K. has added another gravel event, set for 28 June 2025. The 110km long Dalby Grit will feature 1,800m of elevation. It will offer a pro-elite category as well as categories for different ages, and will be an off-road race over tracks and trails in the North Yorkshire’s Dalby Forest.
USA Cycling has unveiled the dates and locations for its National Championships events across Road, Mountain, Track, Cyclocross, Gravel, BMX, and eSports. Starting with the eSports Cycling event on 1 February, the schedule will conclude with the cyclocrosss championships in Fayetteville on 11-14 December. More details can be found here.
Demi Vollering’s time with Team SD Worx – Protime is now drawing to a close, as her move to FDJ-SUEZ looms. In an interview with the Dutch publication NRC.nil, she discusses her former team and her relationship with Lotte Kopecky and Anna van der Breggen. With her move to the French team on the horizon, Vollering indicates she is ready to turn the page.
At last week’s UCI Women’s WorldTour and UCI WorldTour Seminar in Nice, France, key issues facing the sport were discussed by stakeholders, including sustainability, financial fairness, and the restructuring of women’s cycling teams. One of the most significant developments announced for 2025 is the introduction of a three-tiered system for women’s teams, consisting of WorldTeams, ProTeams, and Continental teams. This structure more closely resembles the system used in men’s professional cycling. Seven teams have already applied for ProTeam status, with more expected to follow suit in 2026. The topic of climate change was also addressed. In this regard, UCI has ramped up its efforts to collaborate with stakeholders in professional cycling to shape the next steps of its sustainability strategy. This increased engagement aims to ensure that the sport not only meets its environmental responsibilities, but also leads by example in adopting more sustainable practices. In addition to these discussions, several key awards were also presented at the seminar. The recipients were Lotte Kopecky (UCIWWT best rider), Shirin van Anrooij (best young rider), and SD Worx-Protime (best team), acknowledging their exceptional performances throughout the season.
Anna van der Breggen, who will make her return to racing with Team SD Worx-Protime next year, has already set her sights on the 2025 World Championships. The Dutch rider has travelled to Kigali, the event’s host city, to recon the course in preparation for the competition. The former World Champion was in Rwanda with the Dutch Cycling Federation, accompanied by the men’s national coach and technical director of the Federation. This visit marks an important step in her preparation for what promises to be a highly anticipated return to top-level racing.
A two-day NATO summit in The Hague next summer has caused disruptions to the 2025 Dutch professional cycling calendar, with the Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) announcing that there will be “no capacity available for motorcycle police to supervise cycling races” for a period of up to eight months. The summit, which will bring together NATO’s 32 member countries from 24 to 25 June, requires a significant number of police escorts, leaving the country’s motorcycle police force stretched thin. As a result, major races such as the Amstel Gold Race are at risk. Despite this setback, the KNWU is determined to ensure that the calendar proceeds as planned and is exploring alternative solutions.
Canyon//SRAM Generation will embark on its fourth season next year, and has confirmed that it will support nine riders at the Continental level. Racing as CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation next year, the squad has renewed contracts with returning riders such as reigning Ethiopian road race champion Selam Amha Gerefiel, South African Maddie Le Roux, German Jule Märkl and former Nigerian road race champion and gold medallist at the 2023 African Continental Championships Ese Lovina Ukpeseraye. The team aims to identify and develop riders from underrepresented countries while also welcoming talent globally. Additional signings to complete the roster will be announced in the coming weeks.
Results
Trofeo Ciclo-Cross Rafa Valls – Elite: Léa Stern (Lyon Sprint Evolution) ahead of Sara Bonillo and Adriana Alguacil
Trofeo Ciclo-Cross Rafa Valls – Juniors Irati Aranguren ahead of Aroa Rodriguez and Maria Perez
UCI Track Champions League – Sprint standings: Alina Lysenko ahead of Martha Bayona (COL) and Steffie Van der Peet (NED)
UCI Track Champions League – Endurance standings: Katie Archibald (GBR) ahead of Sarah Van Dam (CAN) and Petra Sevcikova (CZE)
Voxwomen Cycling Hub
Exciting news! Voxwomen has just launched the Voxwomen Cycling Hub, a paid membership packed with exclusive content, behind-the-scenes access, discounts, and more. By joining, you’re not only unlocking premium perks, but also directly supporting the growth of women’s cycling. Don’t miss out on this chance to dive deeper into the sport you love and be part of a community that’s driving real change. Sign up today and help us elevate women’s cycling together!
Blog
Sarah Gigante reflects on her 2024 season, from notching up 29,000km on the bike to conquering the Tour Down Under on Willunga Hill. Find out her fastest race, biggest season surprise, favourite off-bike moments and Duolingo streak! Check out her latest blog right here.
Voxwomen Club
Calling all cycling enthusiasts! Join the Voxwomen Club for some exciting upcoming rides. The next one is coming up soon, so find out more here
This week in cycling history
Edita Pučinskaitė
Born on 27 November 1975, Pučinskaitė is a former Lithuanian professional cyclist who raced in the peloton from 1993 to 2010. During her illustrious career, she won the World Championships in 1999, claimed two Giro d’Italia titles in 2006 and 2007, and took victory at the 1998 Tour de France. Since her retirement, she has remained connected to the cycling world, notably through the GF Edita Pučinskaitė, an annual charity cycling event in Italy, where she resides. Now in its 15th year, the event continues to raise funds and promote cycling as a positive force in the community and will be held again in June of next year.
Anna Milleward
The former Australian road and time trial champion, Anna Millward, celebrated her birthday on 26 November. Now 53 years old, Millward was one of Australia’s most accomplished riders, competing at the highest level from 1994 to 2002. Her journey into the sport began in an unexpected way – after commuting to university by bike, she decided to enter the Great Victorian Bike Ride, a nine-day recreational tour. This experience ignited a passion for cycling. At the 1998 Commonwealth Games, she won gold in the time trial and bronze in the road race. In 1999, she then earned silver in both the road race and time trial at the World Championships. In 2001, Millward achieved a career milestone by winning the UCI overall points title and becoming the UCI World Cup points champion. That same year, she also broke the UCI Hour Record in Melbourne, covering 43.501km. During her cycling career, she also completed a law degree. After retiring from the sport, Millward transitioned to a legal career, practicing law in Melbourne, Australia.
WorldTour highlight videos
Catch up on the action from the Tour of Guangxi right here.
