Your Monday Briefing

Nienke Veenhoven has extended her contract with Team Visma| Lease a Bike for another three years. The Dutch sprinter has been part of the squad since 2023 and showed strong development over the past year. Since joining Team Visma | Lease a Bike, she has made significant progress in her career. Her positioning in both sprints and the peloton has notably improved. Within the sprint squad, Veenhoven forms a duo with Martina Fidanza, with whom she has built a great connection and trust in each other’s ability to lead out.

Vittoria Bussi has again broken the UCI Hour Record by covering a distance of 50.455km on the Velodromo Bicentenario in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She set the new mark after abandoning an attempt just over the half-way mark the previous day. The Italian thereby betters her own record that she established when she became the first woman to break the 50km barrier by covering 50.267km on the same velodrome on 13 October 2023. She had previously held the record for three years, from September 2018 to September 2021, with a distance of 48.007 kilometres.

In a recent interview, two-time mountain bike champion Evie Richards has opened up about her challenging recovery from concussion. The two-time mountain bike world champion spoke candidly about the physical and emotional challenges she faced, including the fear of getting back on the bike. Richards detailed her intensive training regimen aimed at regaining fitness and confidence, and credited the support of her psychologist and a dedicated peer group for helping her through the process. The group includes fellow elite athletes such as BMX Olympic champion Beth Shriever, Olympic and world champion Emma Finucane, and multiple gold medallist Katie Archibald, all of whom have played a role in supporting her comeback.

After a decade of support for women’s professional cycling, the Ceratizit Group has announced that it will conclude its sponsorship of the CERATIZIT Pro Cycling team at the end of the 2025 season. The team, currently ranked among the top eight in the world, is actively exploring new sponsorship opportunities for the next WorldTour license period (2025–2027) and remains firmly committed to continuing its presence at the highest level of professional cycling

Former British Champion Alice Wood has shared her experiences in cycling and the reasons behind her decision to retire at the age of 29. Having raced since her teenage years, Wood turned professional in 2016 with Drops, later riding for Canyon//SRAM and Human Powered Health. After nearly a decade in the sport, she retired at the end of the 2024 season. She now brings her expertise to new roles as a coach with SYNRGY and a commentator for Warner Bros. Discovery. She made a deliberate decision to step away from racing, choosing to retire on her own terms, not due to injury or a lack of opportunities, but with a sense of closure and control over her career. In her current roles, Wood remains connected to the sport she loves, but is rediscovering cycling from a new perspective, one that allows her to give back to the sport while maintaining a renewed sense of satisfaction and balance.

A heavy crash on a right-hand bend with 7.5 km remaining at Itzulia Women brought down several riders, including Anna van der Breggen, who suffered the worst of the fall. With help from teammates Mikayla Harvey and Marie Schreiber, she managed to reduce the gap to the peloton. However, all three riders were later penalised for drafting behind the team car, receiving fines, a 20-second time penalty, and a deduction of UCI points. Due to the effects of her heavy crash, van der Breggen was unfortunately unable to start the next day. We wish Anna all the best in her recovery.

Spanish rider Paula Blasi, from the UAE Development Team, made her debut in a WorldTour race with UAE Team ADQ at Itzulia. Following her outstanding performances in recent months, she signed a two-year contract (2026–2027) with UAE Team ADQ. A climber by nature, Blasi only took up cycling last year. While training for the Duathlon National Championships, an unexpected injury forced her to withdraw, and during her recovery, cycling became her only training option. She soon decided to commit fully to the spor, and has already seen early success in her first year of competition.

The World Championships in Rwanda are progressing as planned, with organisers confident in their ability to deliver a safe and successful event. While the Netherlands and Ireland will be sending limited squads to the race, British Cycling intends to field a full, medal-contending team, including competitors in the youth categories, for the event later this year. However, the organisation remains flexible, acknowledging that circumstances could change and plans may need to be adjusted accordingly.