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AG Insurance – Soudal’s Sarah Gigante has successfully undergone surgery to treat iliac artery endofibrosis. Sarah is now focused on her rehabilitation and is optimistic about her recovery. Reflecting on her surgery, she shared: “I was shocked by how severe the stenosis was, but I’m relieved to finally have an explanation for the challenges I’ve faced this year. I’m committed to my rehab, balancing rest and training, and I’m determined to come back stronger. Having two fully functioning legs will make a huge difference!” We wish Sarah a swift and successful rehabilitation and look forward to seeing her back on the bike soon.
Online supermarket Picnic will become the first title partner of the newly named Team Picnic PostNL, formerly dsm-fimerninch-PostNL. With this partnership, Picnic will support a sports team for the first time in its history. The new title partnership with Picnic will continue for at least four years.
After two years with Cofidis, Morgane Coston will be moving to a new team in 2025. Eighth at this year’s Tour International des Pyrénées, she has signed up with the Swiss Roland WorldTour team. The French climber represents a strategic addition to strengthen the team’s ambitions in stage races. “I want to thank Team Roland for this opportunity to join a top-level squad with a family spirit, which suits me perfectly. In 2025, I’ll focus on finding my rhythm and helping the team achieve great results, especially in hilly races,” the 33-year-old commented on joining the new team.
Afghan National Champion Fariba Hashimi will join CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling for 2025, becoming the first rider from Afghanistan to reach the Women’s WorldTour.
Austrian rider Tabea Huys will join Liv AlUla Jayco Women’s Development team. The U23 time trial national champion was eleventh at the World Junior Championships and fourth at the European Junior Championships, underlining her talent in the race against the clock.
Junior track and road standout Joelle Messemer is the latest signing for Canyon//SRAM Generation for the 2025 season. The German rider had an exceptional 2024 in both the track and road disciplines. She claimed European Junior Championship titles in the Individual Pursuit and Team Pursuit. Additionally, Messemer earned two junior national titles at the German National Championships, winning both the road race and hill climb.
Two riders and four spectators received medical treatment following an incident during the UCI Track Champions League event at Lee Valley VeloPark in London. The incident took place during the Keirin race when Olympic and World champion Katy Marchant collided with Germany’s Alessa-Catriona Propster, and both riders catapulted into the audience at the top of the banking. Marchant had to be taken to the hospital for a fractured forearm. WBD Sports, British Cycling, Lee Valley VeloPark, and the UCI unanimously decided to suspend all further racing for that evening. We wish all involved a speedy recovery.
The Cofidis Women’s Team has set ambitious goals for 2025, aiming to secure a place in the UCI Women’s WorldTour, a challenge they are determined to tackle head-on. To strengthen their efforts, they have enlisted experienced Sports Directors Magnus Backstedt and Gaetan Lemoine. The squad’s roster has also expanded with the addition of Ema Comte, bringing the total number of riders to 16 for the upcoming season. With these key developments, Cofidis is poised to make a strong push in women’s cycling at the highest level.
CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto will again have five riders from Africa in their 2025 squad. Eight of the nine spaces on the team are now complete, with the final rider being the winner of the 2024 Zwift Academy.
The Cyclocross World Cup Cabras in Sardinia had to be cancelled due to extreme winds. The official communication stated: “Ensuring the safety of our athletes, fans, and all personnel remains our utmost priority as we make this necessary decision.” To make matters worse for the local organisers, a fire caused by a lightning strike, destroyed the organisation’s makeshift bar and dining room, as well as the press room.
FDJ-SUEZ has revealed its new kit for 2025. The design is similar to the 2024 edition, but features more red on the side of the jersey.
AusCycling has recognised the exceptional performances of Grace Brown and Saya Sakakibara by jointly awarding them the Sir Hubert Opperman Trophy for 2024 AusCycling Cyclist of the Year. Brown, 32, and Sakakibara, 25, were crowned with Australian cycling’s highest honour thanks to outstanding achievements in their respective disciplines, including victories at the Olympic Games.
The UCI has announced the names of the 57 teams registered for the 2025 season. In addition, the 2025 season will be the last of the current licensing cycle for teams. At the end of the cycle, all UCI Women’s WorldTour licences will be reallocated for the period from 2026 to 2028. New to the UCI ProTeam classification are the Cofidis Women Team, EF Education-Oatly, LABORAL Kuktxa-Fundacion Euskadi, Arkea B&B Hotels Women, St Michel Mavic Auber93, Volkerwessels and Winspace Orange Seal. Among the UCI Women’s ProTeams registered for the 2025 season, the top two, EF Education-Oatly and VolkerAessels, are entitled to receive invitations to all UCI WorldTour events for the 2025 season.
In a recent interview, Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme highlighted a critical issue in cycling, namely the lack of emphasis on protective clothing for athletes. Unlike other high-speed sports such as skiing or motorsport, where safety gear is a priority, cycling has yet to make rider protection a central focus. Prudhomme stressed that teams should shift their attention towards developing equipment with safety in mind, rather than solely prioritising speed.
The 2024 Giro d’Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini is looking for a video made by a fan at the finish line in L’Aquila at this year’s Giro d’Italia. The clip features her mother, and Elisa is keen to find the person who made the video.
Lotte Kopecky has labelled Demi Vollering’s comments that the pair stopped speaking towards the end of the 2024 season as “completely unnecessary” after the latter revealed that their relationship had soured. Speaking in an interview last month, Vollering opened up about losing the Tour de France Femmes and her tumultuous final few months on SD Worx-Protime, and stated that communication had broken down after it was confirmed she would be leaving.
The U.S. U23 cyclocross National Championships concluded in dramatic fashion with a crash at the finish line, where Katherine Sarkisov and Cassidy Hickey collided in the final sprint. Despite the chaos, Sarkisov emerged as the winner after officials relegated Hickey for deviating from her line in the closing moments of the race. The collision, which involved a shoulder bump and a touch of wheels, caused Sarkisov to fall, but she ultimately held on to claim victory.
Cyclocross has long sought inclusion in the Olympics. However, according to Tomas Van den Spiegel, CEO of Flanders Classics, there is optimism surrounding the sport’s chances. He anticipates a positive outcome from the International Olympic Committee’s upcoming decision, with hopes that cyclocross will be added to the Winter Games lineup by 2030.
Loana Lecomte departs Canyon CLLCTV MTB team after three years. In 2024, the French national champion won races in Crans Montana and MSA,
Giorgia Vettorello has extended her contract with Team Roland. The 24-year-old Italian completed her first season in the World Tour this year and gained valuable experience by taking on a packed race schedule, learning and growing at the highest level. One of her standout moments this season was an impressive long solo breakaway at Gent-Wevelgem. Unfortunately, health issues hindered her progress, but the team is optimistic about seeing her back at full strength in 2025.
Sylvie Swinkels has also extended her contract with Roland Pro Cycling Team. Whether she’s leading the sprints or protecting her leaders on the flat stages, Swinkels plays a crucial role in the team.
Libby Smithson has signed with DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK. She loves a punchy race with sprint finish and has some strong results in the National Circuit Series and out in Belgium. She’s shown a lot of resilience and determination over the past few years battling injury, and is incredibly motivated to make a strong comeback in 2025. “I am looking forward to hopefully racing injury free with my new teammates in 2025. The team are really well organised and ride well together, the vibes are also great! I’m especially excited to get stuck in to Belgian racing and crit racing,” she stated in a team press release.
Results
X2O Badkamers Trofee Herentals: Fem van Empel ahead of Lucinda Brand and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (all NED)
Voxwomen Sharon Laws Awards
Have your say in the 2024 Voxwomen Sharon Laws Rider of the Year Awards. We’re collecting your votes over three categories: Rider of the Year, Young rider of the Year and Team of the Year. Vote here before 20 December!
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
Alison Powers
The U.S. rider celebrated her birthday on 14 December. She was a professional rider between 2006 and 2014. A former National Ski Team downhill racer, the now 45-year-old decided to switch to cycling and is the only person to ever win the national road race, time trial, and criterium titles in one year. After retiring from professional racing in 2015, Powers founded the ALP Cycles Racing team, with the mission of fostering talent and developing riders to step up to the highest level of the sport. Beyond cycling, she also serves as the Head Coach for a High School Mountain Bike Team and has recently taken on the role of Client Success Specialist.
