The Northern hemisphere may still be wrapped up in cosy knitwear, but it’s the height of summer down under and that means the cycling season is in full swing. This weekend saw the culmination of the Australian National Road Championships and it’s two Mitchelton-Scott riders – Amanda Spratt and Cameron Meyer – who will wear the green and gold in the 2020 peloton. There was sharp smart racing, selfless teamwork and tears a-plenty on the podium.
Rui Costa slipped out of the chasing pack to form a decisive three-man break on the penultimate climb of the final stage, eventually distancing the other contenders and race leader Tony Martin to seize top spot and take both his first victory in the world champion’s jersey and his third overall win at the Tour de Suisse. Continue reading
This year’s Tour de Suisse had some weather problems (snow curtailing stage two, inflatable banners coming down), some worrying crashes (one Tour contender and an IAM cat) and some magnificent racing. Defending champion Rui Costa, won two stages – but what stages they were! The first was the queen stage, which put him second in the GC, the other the final individual time trial, where he locked up the overall with a brilliant ride on a challenging uphill parcours. Next stop: the Tour de France. Here’s how the race unfolded. Continue reading