Pro Log: British Cycling to organise Tour of Britain races, Cyclocross Worlds, Will Barta earns first pro win

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Pro Log: British Cycling to organise Tour of Britain races, Cyclocross Worlds, Will Barta earns first pro win

Welcome back to another edition of Pro Log. It’s been a packed week of cycling since we last spoke, including the Cyclocross World Championships in Tábor, Czech Republic, which were dominated by Zoe Bäckstedt (Great Britain), Fem van Empel and Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands). More on that later.

Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) kept his team sponsors happy by winning the final stage and the general classification at the five-day AlUla Tour, while Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) claimed overall victory at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana.

Franck Bonnamour of Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale has been provisionally suspended due to ‘unexplained abnormalities in his Biological Passport’.

British Cycling to organise Tour of Britain after Sweetspot liquidation

British Cycling has taken over control of the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour. Running since 2014, the Women’s Tour has been part of the Women’s WorldTour calendar since 2016 and is typically held in June, however it was cancelled for 2023 due to a lack of funding and key sponsors. The most recent iteration of the men’s Tour of Britain was first held in 2004 and began an eight-day format from 2008 onwards.

British Cycling revoked former organiser Sweetspot’s licence to run the races in November last year following disputes over £700,000 in unpaid licence fees. Sweetspot entered liquidation in January.

The races will be renamed to Tour of Britain – Women and Tour of Britain – Men, although it’s uncertain what the women’s race will look like for 2024. Set to run from Tuesday 4th June to Sunday 9th June, it is likely to be shortened for one edition due to financial costs. In a statement, British Cycling said, ‘While delivering the events in 2024 will be incredibly challenging, we have already commenced positive discussions with partners across all areas of commercial, broadcast and local delivery, and have been hugely encouraged by the support we have received to date.

‘We understand that the uncertainty surrounding the two events has been a cause of concern and confusion for riders and teams, and we will be open and transparent to ensure the greatest possible participation and success in the two races scheduled to take place this year.’

The Women’s Tour and Tour of Britain races are especially important for the domestic teams in Britain, who have faced hard times in recent years with a dwindling road scene. British Cycling announced recommendations from an Elite Road Racing Task Force chaired by Ed Clancy to reinvigorate it, including considering a targeted sponsorship agreement for the National Series, a full review of the National Circuit Series and to prioritise locations by audience size, plus a review of entry criteria for WorldTour riders to enter a series.

Further recommendations include a review of the national road calendar and ensure more races are held outside the north of England.

Zoe Bäckstedt, Fem van Empel, Mathieu van der Poel shine at Cyclocross World Championships

Cyclocross held its World Championships over the weekend, with rainbow jerseys awarded to its mud-caked victors. Among them was Great Britain’s 19-year-old Zoe Bäckstedt in the women’s U23 race. With a plethora of titles across disciplines at National, European and World Championships level, Bäckstedt is one of the most entertaining riders to watch; she simply rode away from her rivals on the first lap and soloed to the finish to go one better than her silver medal last year, when she lost out to Netherlands’ Shirin van Anrooij. This year, Bäckstedt took gold by 44 seconds ahead of Czech Republic’s Kristýna Zemanová.

Fem van Empel and Mathieu van der Poel have dominated cyclocross this season. European Champion Van Empel had an 11-race winning streak by December. After a second place in Gavere and finishing off the podium in Hulst, she returned to her best and began another winning streak in the new year, notching up five more victories before the World Championships.

She was the woman to beat in the elite race and, like Bäckstedt, Van Empel was straight to the front on the first lap, surrounded by a sea of orange in her Netherlands teammates. At the finish she claimed her 18th win of the season and her second World Championship title in a row, ahead of compatriots Lucinda Brand, Puck Pieterse and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado.

All eyes turned to Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands for the final race of the World Championships. He won 10 races in a row during this cyclocross season and was the obvious favourite on the start line to win the men’s elite rainbow jersey. Like the other winners, he was the leading man on the first lap and held the position all the way. The dominators dominated once again.

Will Barta gets first pro win at Volta Comunitat Valenciana

Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) topped the general classification at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana as Movistar’s Will Barta won the final stage. McNulty had worked his way into the leader’s jersey following a shortened Stage 4, which sadly had been cut short due to the death of a spectator near the finish.

On the final day of racing, Barta broke away from the leading group in the final 50km. It was an immense show of strength that packed all the drama of what makes cycling so beautiful – a runaway breakaway desperately pushing down on the pedals, dangled in front of the chasers like a carrot on a stick, the odds flicking between in his favour and not, an advantage tumbling downwards… until the realisation hit in the final kilometre. He was on his way to his first professional victory. Barta held off the field and crossed the finish line with sprinters barrelling down behind him, in sight but never caught. It was one of those emotional moments that make this sport so great.

Another standout moment from the race also has to be Matej Mohorič’s incredible descending skills on his way to victory on Stage 2 into Mancomunitat de la Valldigna. It made for phenomenal viewing.

See you next week.

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