News Round-up: Final rainbow jerseys handed out at first ‘super’ World Championships

| Pauline Ferrand-Prévot doubles up with mountain bike cross-country world title

Lotte Kopecky stole the headlines on the final weekend of the UCI World Championships, storming to a dominant victory in the elite women’s road race, but she wasn’t the only world champion crowned on the final two days.

In the same race, Kata Blanka Vas (Hungary) edged out Shirin van Anrooij (Netherlands) and Anna Shackley (Great Britain) in a sprint finish to secure the women’s under-23 title. Meanwhile, there was breakaway joy for Axel Laurance in the men’s under-23 race. The Frenchman made the day’s early breakaway before soloing away from his rivals with 27km to go and holding off a small chasing group after an attritional race. António Morgado (Portugal) finished only two seconds behind in second with Martin Svrček (Slovakia) in third.

© Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images

Lotte Kopecky became the first Belgian women’s road race world champion since 1966.

Over in the mountain biking, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (France) made it two from two after triumphing in the women’s cross-country race, adding to her short track victory from two days prior. Fellow Ineos Grenadiers rider Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) worked his way back from 33rd on the grid to win the men’s race, adding to his Olympic title from Tokyo.

In the final para-cycling road races, there were victories for: Weicong Liang (China), men’s C1; Alexandre Léauté (France), men’s C2; Finlay Graham (Great Britain), men’s C3; Kévin Le Cunff (France), men’s C4; William Bjergfelt (Great Britain), men’s C5; Tristan Bangma and Patrick Bos (Netherlands), men’s B; Frances Brown (Great Britain), women’s C1; Flurina Rigling (Switzerland), women’s C2; Wang Xiaomei (China), women’s C3; Samantha Bosco (USA), women’s C4; Sarah Storey (Great Britain), women’s C5; and Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly (Ireland), women’s B.

| Christine Majerus criticises neutral service after women’s road race

Christine Majerus has criticised Shimano’s neutral service following the women’s road race at the UCI World Championships, asking “why are you there if you don’t help?”.

The Luxembourg champion’s race was beset by bad luck as she suffered an early puncture. With her team car towards the back of the convoy, Majerus says that she failed to get the support she needed from neutral service who “ignored” her request, leaving the 36-year-old with an insurmountable gap to the peloton.

© Velo Collection (Dario Belingheri) / Getty Images

Christine Majerus ahead of the women’s road race yesterday.

“I am aware that not everyone can have car number 1 and that no other nation was willing to give me service (thanks Switzerland at least they considered it but then… no), but I always thought that that’s what the ugly blue cars are there for,” Majerus said in an Instagram post. “But apparently they are just there for advertising and adding another five plus cars to the already too long convoy. Why are you there if you don’t help?”

Although Majerus did eventually manage to change her bike, she was unable to catch the peloton and was eventually pulled from the race by the commissaires after falling too far behind.

| Simac Ladies Tour to be Annemiek van Vleuten’s last race

Annemiek van Vleuten’s final race as a professional rider will be the Simac Ladies Tour, which runs from September 5 to September 10. There will be plenty of other opportunities to see the Dutchwoman in action before then with the former world champion also starting a trio of criterium races in the Netherlands and Belgium next week, before tackling the Tour of Scandinavia as her penultimate race.

“The last stage [of the Simac Ladies Tour] finishes in Arnhem on Sunday September 10. That is 25 kilometres from my house, where my boyfriend lives and also close to Achterhoek, where I grew up and have a fan base,” Van Vleuten said in her blog explaining the decision.

“These are not all stages where a lot is possible for me, but I really enjoy racing in the Netherlands and there will probably be some people from my area to watch. I think it's a nice way to say goodbye, where I can also enjoy it.”

© Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images

Annemiek van Vleuten was cheered across the line in her final World Championships road race.

It’s been over a year since Van Vleuten announced her intention to retire at the end of 2023 and since then she secured the 2022 road race world title. Unfortunately the Dutchwoman won’t end her career owning the rainbow jersey as she was unable to defend her world title yesterday in Glasgow, finishing eighth after a string of bad luck including multiple mechanical issues.

Despite the result, Van Vleuten can still reflect on a successful final season in which she defended her La Vuelta Femenina and Giro d’Italia Donne crowns.

| Coryn Labecki becomes latest rider to sign for EF Education-Cannondale

Coryn Labecki has become the fourth rider to join newly-formed EF Education-Cannondale for the 2024 season, joining Veronica Ewers, Nina Kessler and Noemi Rüegg on the team’s growing roster.

A new EF Education-Cannondale women’s team was recently announced and will sit alongside the EF Education-EasyPost men’s WorldTour team. Starting their line-up from scratch, Ewers became the first rider to join the project seven days ago and that roster is now up to four riders with the addition of Labecki.

“Coryn is a rider I have known for a few years. She is a really important leader in the team, especially with guiding the group towards a goal,” general manager Esra Tromp, who also joined the team earlier this month, said of her new signing. “She is a natural leader who can support riders really well and push her teammates to a higher level.”

| Transfer round-up: Warren Barguil returns to dsm-firmenich

Warren Barguil will return to dsm-firmenich for the 2024 season, six years after he left the team for Arkéa-Samsic.

The Frenchman turned pro with the Dutch outfit in 2013 and enjoyed the best spell of his career while riding for the team, picking up two stage wins and the King of the Mountains jersey at the 2017 Tour de France. His new contract will see him ride for the team through to the end of 2026.

“I obviously have experience and great memories here so I know what it takes to be a part of the team, and I strongly believe this is a great environment for me to get the most out of myself in,” Barguil said in a press release.

© Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images

Warren Barguil at the Tour de France earlier this year, a race where he previously took two stage wins for dsm-firmenich.

Elsewhere, Bora-Hansgrohe has bolstered its squad with the addition of Matteo Sobrero from Jayco AlUla on a one year-contract. Lidl-Trek has also been busy in the transfer market, securing the signing of Andrea Bagioli from Soudal-Quick Step on a three-year contract. The 24-year-old has only taken one WorldTour victory in his career so far but will aim to build on that palmarès with one-day and stage victories, according to the team.

While Bagioli is exiting the team, Antoine Huby will turn professional with Soudal-Quick Step next season after agreeing a two-year contract. Meanwhile, Uno-X has secured the signing of Rasmus Bøgh Wallin who rejoins the pro ranks after a three-year absence.