News Round-up: Vittoria Bussi postpones Hour Record attempt

It’s been a busy day of racing at the Veneto Classic and Tour of Türkiye, plus Caleb Ewan is returning to Jayco-AlUla

16:41, Wednesday 11th October 2023

Tom Hallam-Gravells

Online Production Editor

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Vittoria Bussi on the track

Bussi's Hour Record setback

Vittoria Bussi has postponed her scheduled attempt at the hour world record due to suboptimal conditions at the Velodromo Bicentenario in Aguascalientes in Mexico.

The Italian rider previously set the record in 2018 but it has since been surpassed with Ellen van Dijk holding the current mark, with Bussi due to attempt to reclaim the title on October 11.

However, lower temperatures than expected have led to a short-term postponement, with Bussi confirming on Instagram that it’ll be rescheduled for the next 48 hours.

Bussi’s record attempt has been made possible by a Crowdfunding campaign which has raised €12,014 at the time of writing. As Bussi doesn’t ride for a pro team, the funding was required to make the attempt possible.

Alongside the hour record, Bussi has also set the target of becoming the first female rider to break the 50km barrier.

Jasper Philipsen wins again on stage 4 of Tour of Türkiye

After yesterday’s tough mountain stage interrupted his streak, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) returned to winning ways on stage 4 of the Tour of Türkiye, taking his third victory at this year’s race. The flying Dutchman launched his sprint late, emerging from the middle of the bunch in the closing metres to sweep to another victory, just edging out Timothy Dupont (Tarteletto–Isorex) in 2nd with Giovanni Lonardi (EOLO-Kometa) in 3rd.

Philipsen reached an important milestone in the process, triumphing for the 18th time this season to catapult himself above Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) to the top of the rankings for the most professional wins this season.

Jasper Philipsen has emerged as the dominant sprinter in 2023

“After the Tour we were just looking for some goals that were left. I like to win, so the goal to be the winning champion this year of professional victories was a nice goal for me,” Philipsen reflected after the race.

“And to also get me motivated during the end of the season, which wasn’t so easy, but I’m happy to be the king of the victories. It doesn’t mean a lot, but to me it means something, so it’s always nice.”

Race leader Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan) finished safely in the bunch a day after soaring to victory atop Babadağ mountain. The Kazakh rider holds a 16-second lead over Ben Zwiehoff (Bora-Hansgrohe) in 2nd and 33 seconds over Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan) in 3rd with four stages remaining.

Cherie Pridham joins UAE Team ADQ as head of sports

UAE Team ADQ is continuing to build for the 2024 season with what they describe as a “groundbreaking” signing. The women’s WorldTour team haven’t secured the signature of a rider, but of Cherie Pridham who will become the team’s new head of sports.

Pridham competed at the highest level of women’s cycling over a 15-year career before transitioning to a sports director role in 2006 following a training accident. After working for multiple teams, she made history in 2021 by joining Lotto Dstny, becoming the first ever female sports director at a men’s WorldTour team.

“Cherie Pridham's appointment aligns seamlessly with UAE Team ADQ's core values and mission to create diverse leadership opportunities for women,” Melissa Moncada, president of UAE Team ADQ, said.

“Her wealth of experience promises to be a game-changer, not only for the women's cycling team but also for the entire industry.”

The move brings to an end Pridham’s two-year stay with Lotto Dstny where she also became the first female sports director to oversee a victory in a men’s WorldTour race at Tirreno-Adriatico.

“By joining UAE Team ADQ, I am not just embarking on a career change, I am embracing a remarkable opportunity to contribute to the growth of women's cycling,” Pridham reflected.

Caleb Ewan cuts Lotto Dstny contract short to rejoin Jayco-AlUla

Five years after he left Mitchelton-Scott for Lotto Dstny, Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan has made a return to Jayco AlUla for 2024. The Australian sprinter had a year left on his contract but agreed with Lotto Dstny to terminate it early, paving the way for a reunion with the team he rode for between 2014 and 2018.

“For us to have another Australian rider with such calibre joining us, it is very special, and he will provide us with another fantastic option to challenge for sprint finishes,” general manager Brent Copeland said of the signing.

“We have been working hard to add depth to our men’s team and with the addition of another top-level sprinter into our ranks, we are certainly going to be looking for wins in all races that we see Caleb and Dylan line-up in.”

Caleb Ewan is leaving Lotto Dstny after five years

The move brings to an end a slightly tumultuous final campaign with Lotto Dstny, during which Ewan only picked up one win and none at WorldTour level. A low point came at the Tour de France when Ewan abruptly abandoned the race on stage 13 and was subsequently publicly derided by Lotto Dstny team boss Stéphane Heulot.

“The main thing for me will be getting back to winning ways and I hope to bring a lot of success to the team. It will be a strong roster for 2024,” Ewan said of his ambitions with his new team.

Dorian Godon soars to Giro del Veneto victory in a tricky uphill sprint

By George Poole

Dorian Godon of AG2R Citroën won the Giro del Veneto in a tricky uphill sprint that saw Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) boxed out, whilst Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Pro Cycling) and Florian Vermeersch (Lotto Dstny) finished second and third, respectively.

The French rider impressed on similar finishes in the spring Classics and his Giro del Veneto win had echoes of his victory at De Brabantse Pijl, with his powerful physique launching him to an eighth career victory.

Godon proved to be too powerful in the uphill sprint

It had been an enthralling final 30km at the Giro del Veneto, with the once six-rider breakaway being caught not far from the line, and a flurry of attacks failing to prevent the peloton from charging towards the Monte Berico and a group finish.

With everything back together for the finish, Godon stole a march on the uphill sprint to the line and never looked like relinquishing it as he safely held on to his lead to claim his second victory of the season.

The latest from the transfer window

We’re now late into the season but the transfer merry-go-round is still in full swing with new transfers constantly being announced. One team who have bolstered their roster for the 2024 season is Lidl-Trek, adding Fleur Moors to their women’s roster on a two-year contract. The youngster - who turned 18 on the day of the announcement - recently conquered the VAM mountain to be crowned the junior women’s European road champion.

While most riders have secured contracts for the coming season, some are still on the hunt for teams. Among them is Antwan Tolhoek who won’t be offered a new contract by Lidl-Trek, according to WielerFlits.

Experienced cyclist Domenico Pozzovivo is another rider facing an uncertain future with his current contract with Israel-Premier Tech set to expire at the end of the season. The 40-year-old climber may be forced to hang up his bike, he told WielerFlits: “There aren't many conversations. It is certainly possible that I will stop.”

Catch up with the rest of today's news: