Not once, not twice, but three times has Laurent Pichon stood on the podium at Tro-Bro Léon, cradling a live piglet.

Though the Frenchman has never won the race, he's finished three times in the top 10, on each occasion earning himself the accolade of the highest-placed Breton rider. It's a title that brings one of pro cycling's most bizarre prizes: A bright-eyed pig, reared at a local farm. 

Born in Finistère, in France’s far-flung north west, Pichon will start his home race for the 12th time this Sunday. It’s a day out, he explains, that holds a special place in his heart. 

“It’s something out of the ordinary,” the Arkéa-Samsic rider tells Cycling Weekly. “I used to watch it on the television and I remember the victory of the last Breton winner, Frédéric Guesdon, in 2008. When I did it in 2010, in my first year as a professional, I ended up in the breakaway and I found it amazing. Everyone was cheering me on, and later that evening, I fell in love with the race.” 

Tro-Bro Léon is a 200km slog through the Brittany countryside, scattered with two dozen sectors of ribinoù, dirt-covered farm tracks. It’s considered the Paris-Roubaix of the west, and is circled on the calendars of most Breton riders. 

“I’ve won three pigs,” Pichon says proudly. “This is a very agricultural region, with a lot of livestock farming. It represents our culture. Giving a pig to the first Breton rider is a nice touch. I have a farmer friend in the north of Finistère, who takes care of the pig each time, and also looked after the one won by Olivier Le Gac [in 2018].

“I take the little piglet with me in the car in a wooden box, and drive it straight to the farm. One time, it came with me to my house. I might even have let it out into the garden for a little run around, but my friend came quickly and collected it.” 

Asked, somewhat naively, if he’s able to go and visit his pigs, the 36-year-old answers matter-of-factly. “Um, they were there for a few months,” he laughs. “They’ve since been turned into sausages. They had a great life. At the farm, they had their own huts and lots of healthy food. That’s what makes good pigs.” 

Each of Pichon’s piglets, won in 2016, 2017 and 2022, were given names by the farmer. The first was called Ty Pich, after the rider’s nickname, ‘Pipich’ or ‘Pich’. Then came Ty Pich 2 and Pitchounette. None of the trio lasted until the end of the year.

Is it possible, then, that Pichon ate the pigs he won? “A few bites, yes,” he says. “Almost certainly.

“We try not to think too much about it when we eat the sausages, otherwise we get a bit attached.” 

Now in his fourteenth season as a pro, Pichon’s goal remains the same: Win Tro-Bro Léon. 

“I’ve ridden almost all of the biggest races in the world, but this is the one I love, the one that’s in my heart,” he says. “If I manage to win, that would be a huge achievement in my career, and I’d be very proud of it.

“Breton riders are always really up for this race. If we don’t win, it’s a nice consolation to be on the podium, with our pig, in front of all the people,” he adds. “The dream is to be on the top step, together with the pig.” 

As the professional cycling transfer window has begun to draw to a close, one rider is notably currently short of a ride for the 2023 season. Mark Cavendish. 

There has been stacks of reports as to where the joint Tour de France stage win’s record holder may find himself next season. 

He had been heavily linked to the French Proteam B & B Hotels-KTM throughout the autumn and winter. Team management at B & B repeatedly stated throughout the off-season that Cavendish was set to join the French squad as a team leader. However, planned big money sponsorship for B & B never materialised, with the announcement coming last week that they have now collapsed. 

With the news of B & B’s demise, questions have even been asked if that’s now it for the Manxman with his stunning second victory in the British national road championships being his final act in the sport. 

In the meantime, Trek-Segafredo have become one of several high-profile WorldTour teams to rule out a late move for Cavendish, with general manager Luca Guercilena explaining that the team plan to continue to focus on younger talent in the years to come. 

Cavendish has also been linked to the American ProTeam Human Powered Health in a report by WielerFlits. However, a surprise move to the American squad wouldn’t essentially guarantee Cavendish a return to the Tour in 2023. 

Human Powered Health have yet to comment on the matter. 

Even if the move to the American team doesn’t materialise, all is not lost, with several squads still without a sprinter for the coming season meaning that there’s time for a late move yet. 

Here at Cycling Weekly, we look at where the Manxman could find himself next. 

INEOS GRENADIERS

With all of Ineos’ firepower being aimed at Grand Tour success in recent years, you could argue that any link with Cavendish is merely a wild rumour. 

However, he rode for the team, then Team Sky, when they enjoyed a boom of victories, and would mark a return to the glory days that saw Bradley Wiggins land 2012 Tour victory.

Geraint Thomas took a fine third place at the Tour this year for Britain’s only WorldTour level squad. However, Thomas has publicly stated that with the Giro d’Italia route featuring more than 70 kilometres of time trialling next season, he will head to Italy. 

With Thomas likely out of the Tour team as a result, that would only leave Egan Bernal or riders like Dani Martinez as potential leaders for Ineos next July. 

Former Giro and Tour winner Bernal is still on the road to recovery after sustaining horrific injuries in a training crash earlier this year, so is unlikely to be able to lead the charge for Ineos. Martinez is still, to a certain extent, unproven as a GC leader. 

The team have also begun to adapt, changing their identity to one that's prepared to challenge in a one day setting too. They saw great success at Paris-Roubaix with Dylan van Baarle, and adding a former monument winner in Cavendish to the fold could help them continue in that vein. 

Not only that, but without an out-and-out overall favourite at the Tour next year, they may look for success in stage wins instead. The team already possess a sprinter in the form of Italian Elia Viviani , although Viviani has hardly set the world alight in the last 12 months. 

Adding Cavendish to the squad once more, even just for a year, would bring experience and stability to what is now with the exception of Thomas and Luke Rowe, a very young roster. 

It would also mean a solid chance at stage wins at next year's Tour, with the added bonus of potentially having Cavendish take a record 35th stage win with Ineos emblazoned across his chest.

A British sponsor's dream scenario on a British team. 

ARKÉA-SAMSIC 

The French team already possess a sprinter in the form of Nacer Bouhanni, although the Frenchman hasn’t taken a victory at WorldTour level for a number of years. Cavendish has. 

Not only that, but the squad now lacks a leader after the departure of their star GC rider Nairo Quintana. It’s not difficult to imagine that Quintana would have taken up a large percentage of the teams budget, therefore leaving funds available to bring in a sprinter of Cavendish’s calibre who would significantly increase their chances of WorldTour success next season.  

Arkea-Samsic would also provide a guaranteed return to the Tour de France, with them also being confirmed to move to the WorldTour for 2023. 

The team would also have a solid lead out train which would be good to go, with Hugo Hofstetter, British rider Dan McLay and David Dekker among others already contracted for next season. 

HUMAN POWERED HEALTH

The American ProTeam Human Powered Health has emerged as being something of a surprise potential destination for Cavendish next year. 

According to the report from WielerFlits, the American squad have emerged in “pole position” for Cavendish’s signature, although that wouldn’t necessarily guarantee them entry into high-profile WorldTour races like the Tour. 

Human Powered Health would have to outrace multiple other ProTeam’s at the start of the year for a shot at receiving a wildcard entry to the Tour from race organisers ASO. The odds aren’t entirely in the teams favour with them having only received invites to ASO organised races on two other occasions. 

Joining the team would guarantee that he could still compete at a respected level, but Human Powered Health would be an odd move if a guaranteed return to the Tour was what Cavendish is hoping for next year. 

The team also lacks a ready to go sprint train to back Cavendish, unlike fellow ProTeam Arkéa–Samsic. 

ISRAEL-PREMIER TECH

Even though the Sylvan Adams backed squad will drop from the WorldTour next year, they could still provide Cavendish with a good staging post to continue his career. 

The Israeli team already have some big name riders on their team, including Chris Froome, Giacomo Nizzolo and Jakob Fuglsang and Adams is the type of owner who wouldn’t be afraid to splash the cash to add a fourth to the frame. 

The team took two big wins at the Tour de France last season through Simon Clarke and Hugo Houle, and would be one of the ProTeam level squads more likely to receive an invite to next year's Tour. 

If Cavendish were to join, then that would make that an almost foregone conclusion. 

However, last week Israel-Premier Tech announced that they had signed former Bahrain Victorious rider Stevie Williams, and confirmed that their roster was now full for the 2023 season, making a move there for Cavendish difficult. 

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

With the majority of the rosters at WorldTour teams being complete, opportunities for Cavendish are gradually getting thinner. 

Among the WorldTour squads, several are at their full roster including EF Education-EasyPost, Movistar, BikeExchange-Jayco and, as mentioned above, Israel-Premier Tech. 

Other teams, including UAE Team Emirates and Jumbo-Visma potentially have space for other signings, but with these two both likely to be going for Tour victory next year, it seems highly unlikely that they would look to add a sprinter to the fold. 

Norwegian ProTeam Uno-X are one squad who could see themselves receiving an invite to some of cycling's biggest races next season, and may look to add more signings. Although after already bringing in Alexander Kristoff, a move for Cavendish seems unlikely. 

Plus, Uno-X manager Jens Haugland played down any links to Cavendish in a TV2 interview in Norway this week. 

“Cavendish is a legendary cyclist who will very likely take part in the Tour de France, but not for Uno-X." 

Groupama-FDJ also could potentially bring in Cavendish, although with them possessing one of his biggest rivals last season, Arnaud Demare, that seems highly unlikely. The French team were briefly linked to Cavendish by La Gazzetta dello Sport this week. However, that was another link that did not last long. 

Elsewhere in the WorldTour, the sacking of Miguel Angel López by Astana Qazaqstan this week opens up a place on their roster that he could fill.

AG2R Citroën, Bahrain Victorious (where Cavendish rode in 2020) and Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert also have room for more signings. 

A RETURN TO INEOS MAKES SENSE

With it confirmed that Geraint Thomas is making a return to the Giro d’Italia next year, Ineos Grenadiers severely lack another rider who would possess the form and fitness to challenge the likes of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour next year in the general classification battle.

Bernal may need more time to regain his racing legs, and it may still be too early for the likes of Tom Pidcock to seriously mount an effort at the Tour podium. The team has also lost Adam Yates to UAE Team Emirates ahead of the coming season. 

With that in mind, Ineos’ direction is changing. The British team have already begun to reassess themselves and the type of racing that they’re known for, with that reshuffling process paying dividends at this year's Paris-Roubaix. 

Bringing Cavendish back into the fold ahead of the Tour would make sense for where the team are headed going forward. Cavendish enjoyed some of his best performances in a Team Sky jersey, and a return to his former stomping ground would also see them then possess another rider, other than the likes of Pidcock, who would be more than capable of picking up stage wins at the Tour next year. 

Cycling teams do not normally take the step of responding to transfer speculation; it usually all happens behind closed doors, with agents trying to arrange things away from prying eyes. You will see a rumour in the media, but rarely an official confirmation or denial, until business is finally done.

This is what makes AG2R Citroën's official denial of interest in signing Nairo Quintana all the more interesting. Not only were they willing to tell people off the record that it wasn't happening, they felt they had to issue a firm rebuttal to the speculation.

"Contrary to an information released in different medias AG2R CITROËN TEAM has never had any contact with Nairo Quintana or his agent and is not interested by his recruitment," a message from the team read on Tuesday morning.

What this says about Quintana's status within the sport after his retrospective disqualification from the 2022 Tour de France, after two of his blood samples revealed the presence of the painkiller tramadol, or AG2R's need to reassure their riders or investors, is an interesting question.

While the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) didn’t include tramadol on its banned substance list, the painkiller had been banned by the UCI since March 2019 due to its adverse side effects. WADA has since outlawed its use. 

The Colombian announced he will leave Arkéa-Samsic at the end of this season, just six weeks after he agreed a new three-year deal with the French team. 

“I want to thank Arkéa-Samsic for these last three years,” the Colombian said in a message shared on his Instagram account. “We’ve had ups and downs, but I’ve been able to bring my experience to the team and collect UCI points.”

While the contract extension was announced by the team, French media said that nothing was officially signed between the rider and the team, which allowed Arkéa and Quintana to part ways.

French newspaper L'Equipe reported over the weekend that a separate French team had made a contract proposal, with their piece saying that it was a WorldTour squad.

The report cited "sources close to the Colombian", noting that a French team had already made him a contract proposal. With AG2R out, this leaves Cofidis or Groupama-FDJ, neither of whom have said anything, but the French paper also reported that Astana-Qazaqstan were interested; this might make more sense, with Vincenzo Nibali retiring this year.

However, time and opportunities are running out for the Colombian, who still has his disqualification due to tramadol and appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport hanging over him.

In his Instagram message over the weekend, Quintana said: “I will keep you informed on my future in the coming weeks and prove what an honest rider I am.

“I have brought an appeal before the CAS and I’m continuing to work with my team of lawyers. I’m optimistic because I am an honest person, I’ve done nothing wrong or illegal and I want to defend myself.”

With Quintana departing Arkéa, along with Brit Connor Swift, who has moved to Ineos Grenadiers, there are now spaces and funds available at the French ProTour team.

Nairo Quintana has announced he will leave Arkéa-Samsic at the end of this season, just six weeks after he agreed a new three-year deal with the French team. 

“I want to thank Arkéa-Samsic for these last three years,” the Colombian said in a message shared on his Instagram account. “We’ve had ups and downs, but I’ve been able to bring my experience to the team and collect UCI points.”

The day after Quintana signed his new contract, he was retrospectively disqualified from the 2022 Tour de France, after two of his blood samples revealed the presence of the painkiller tramadol. 

While the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) didn’t include tramadol on its banned substance list, the painkiller had been banned by the UCI since March 2019 due to its adverse side effects. WADA has since outlawed its use. 

In his Instagram message, Quintana added: “I will keep you informed on my future in the coming weeks and prove what an honest rider I am.

“I have brought an appeal before the CAS and I’m continuing to work with my team of lawyers. I’m optimistic because I am an honest person, I’ve done nothing wrong or illegal and I want to defend myself.”

Last month, the 32-year-old chose not to take the start line at the Vuelta a España in order to prepare his appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

He had previously said that he was “totally unaware” of having taken tramadol, and denied ever using it during his career. 

“With my legal team we will exhaust every means to prepare my defence,” Quintana wrote in a statement shared on 17 August. 

The Colombian has not competed for Arkéa-Samsic since the UCI sanction and is not expected to race again this year. Last month, he represented his country in the men’s elite road race at the World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, finishing 66th. 

Quintana came sixth in the general classification at the Tour de France in July but has since had his results from the race wiped. The UCI clarified in a statement that, as this was his first offence, he would be allowed to continue racing for the remainder of the season.

General manager of French second division team Arkéa-Samsic says they are "at the gates of the WorldTour" for this coming season as they look to make the step up in 2023.

The team of Colombian star Nairo Quintana will be invited to every one of the UCI WorldTour races in 2022 thanks to them finishing second in the ProTeam division this season just gone.

In 2021 it was just Alpecin-Fenix who were given an automatic invite but due to Qhubeka-NextHash's WorldTour licence being refused by the UCI it means that two teams are eligible to be riding in every one of the top tier races with Peter Sagan's TotalEnergies being invited to every WorldTour one-day race.

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Reported by Tuttobici, Emmanuel Hubert, general manager of Arkéa-Samsic, said: "We have gradually overcome many levels to arrive in 2022 at the gates of the WorldTour with the possibility of participating to the entire calendar of the first division teams thanks to the second place in the ProTeams 2021 ranking.

"We will continue to move forward following this philosophy, because it is the right way for the team to continue growing."

Last year the team missed out on a wildcard entry to the Giro d'Italia, which Quintana was hoping to race and try and win for the first time since 2014. The Giro organisers decided to go with all Italian teams instead.

"The 2022 season promises to be a year of discovery for us and a run-up to performances that will be necessary to be definitively one of the 18 teams that will be part of the WorldTour in 2023. This is our common and shared goal," Hubert added.

The team based in the French region of Brittany took 10 victories this season with two going the way of Quintana at the Vuelta Asturias along with a couple from Yorkshireman Connor Swift as well as Bretagne rider Warren Barguil.

But the highest profile win was a stage at the Volta ao Algarve from Élie Gesbert with the rider also finishing fifth overall.

The UCI says it “firmly condemns the racist attacks” aimed at Nacer Bouhanni.

French rider Bouhanni recently revealed the wave of racist abuse he had been subjected to in the last week, following a racing incident in a French one-day race.

Bouhanni was disqualified from Cholet-Pays de la Loire for dangerous sprinting, after he forced Groupama-FDJ’s Jake Stewart into the barrier during the sprint finish.

The UCI then released a statement condemning Bouhanni’s actions in the sprints and calling for the Arkéa-Samsic rider to face further sanction.

After Bouhanni and Stewart exchanged words on social media, Bouhanni was then subject to an influx of racist abuse both in online comments and sent directly to his social media accounts.

On Wednesday morning (April 7) the UCI released another statement, this time condemning the racist attacks on Bouhanni.

Cycling’s international governing body said: “The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) wishes to firmly condemn the racist attacks aimed at the French rider Nacer Bouhanni on social media following his disqualification for dangerous conduct during the final sprint at the Cholet-Pays de la Loire.

“However serious the fault of the French rider – which forced the UCI to refer the incident to its Disciplinary Commission and demand the imposition of sanctions against him – , nothing justifies the insults he has been subject to in the days following the act he is accused of.

“The UCI would like to reaffirm its unqualified commitment to fighting against all forms of discrimination, whatever the reasons behind it. Our federation, via its constitution, its code of ethics and its various programmes, upholds and promotes the principles of inclusion and the respect for others.”

Bouhanni said he has been “putting up with this for a long time and I’ve kept silent” but added he won’t let it go anymore.

>>> Jake Stewart responds after Nacer Bouhanni subjected to racist abuse  

The 30-year-old plans to report those sending the racist abuse to the authorities.

Jake Stewart also posted online after Bouhanni revealed the racist attacks, with the Brit saying he stands united with Bouhanni.

Nacer Bouhanni has suffered awful racist abuse after his recent disqualification for dangerous sprinting. 

Frenchman Bouhanni has shared details of the abusive and racist message he has received online, after he was involved in a dangerous sprint with British rider Jake Stewart in a French one-day race. 

Bouhanni’s Arkéa-Samsic team released a statement in the wake of the abuse their rider has received, saying they “strongly deplore and denounce these acts of racism.” 

The wave of racist abuse aimed at Bouhanni comes after he was disqualified from Cholet-Pays de la Loire for forcing Groupama-FDJ rider Stewart into the barrier during the sprint finish.

British sprinter Stewart was able to stay upright but suffered a broken hand in the incident, as the UCI later released a statement condemning Bouhanni’s actions. 

Since the incident, Bouhanni has been targeted with racial abuse, both in comments online and in direct messages sent to his social media accounts. 

In a statement posted on Monday (April 5), Bouhanni said: “Hello to all the little jokers who have been amusing themselves for a week by writing to me personally or commenting on certain cycling websites that I should return to Africa, that I am a criminal, that I am a North African who needs to be interned and who are constantly sending me [pig emojis],” 

“I was born in France and I am going to file a complaint, because I have been putting up with this for a long time already and I’ve kept silent, but this time I won’t let it go anymore.” 

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In response to the abuse, Arkea-Samsic also said in a statement: “Nacer Bouhanni has suffered violent racist attacks for more than a week, especially on social networks. He decided to file a complaint. 

“The Arkéa-Samsic team strongly deplores and denounces these acts of racism and gives its full support to Nacer Bouhanni.”  

After the sprinting incident at the 1.1-ranked race in France, the UCI released a statement condemning Bouhanni’s actions.

The 30-year-old now faces a possible suspension as the UCI referred the incident to its Disciplinary Commission. 

The UCI has not yet made a statement on the racist abuse Bouhanni has received.  

Nacer Bouhanni has apologised to British rider Jake Stewart after shoving him into the barriers at the Cholet-Pays de la Loire on Sunday (March 28).

Bouhanni (Arkéa-Samsic) was fighting to get into the lead in the final sprint when he drastically changed line, riding into the path of Stewart (Groupama-FDJ), as well as sticking out an elbow. Both riders somehow kept their bikes upright, but Bouhanni was subsequently disqualified. The sprint finish of the Frenc race was won by Elia Viviani (Cofidis).

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Arkéa-Samsic released a short statement from Bouhanni that said: "I'm sorry for Jake Stewart. The sprint went as follows: I see Elia Viviani launching and I want to take his wheel. I admit that my mistake was to change course to take his wheel. I didn't see Jake Stewart at this time.

"When we come into contact with each other I find myself unbalanced. I make up for it as best I can so as not to fall. I just wanted to take the slipstream [of Viviani] because the wind was coming from the right side, by no means was it intentional."

This is not the first time that Bouhanni has made a potentially dangerous manoeuvre in a sprint finish. At Paris-Nice in 2016 the former French champion was relegated after he pinned Michael Matthews on the barriers with the Australian, who was in the yellow jersey at the time, having to take drastic action.

Stewart tweeted after the incident at Cholet-Pays de la Loire: "Yo Nacer Bouhanni, I would ask you what you were thinking…but you clearly have no brain cells,” Stewart said on Twitter after the race. “The ironic thing is, you told me I had ‘no respect’ after the finish. Here’s an educational video of what ‘no respect’ looks like…" The 21-year-old then linked a tweet with a video of the incident.

The UCI decided that the incident was serious enough for it to be referred to its Disciplinary Commission to place the appropriate sanction on Bouhanni.

The dangers of irregular sprints have been under the microscope in recent months following the incident between Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) and Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) at the Tour of Poland last year, which left Jakobsen with horrific injuries he is still recovering from. Groenewegen received a nine-month ban from the UCI with Jakobsen having to undergo multiple reconstruction surgeries. Likewise the security of roadside barriers has been reassessed following the incident in Poland, with Belgian races, E3 Saxo Bank Classic and Ghent-Wevelgem, the first to use newly designed safety barriers in the finishing straights.

Nacer Bouhanni says he is confident that he would have won the final stage of the Tour de la Provence is he wasn't forced into the barriers by Davide Ballerini.

Bouhanni (Arkéa-Samsic) only managed to take third behind eventual winner, Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and Ballerini (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), but said he believes he had the pace to take the win into Salon-de-Provence on Sunday (February 14).

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According to cycling website Wielerflits Bouhanni said after the stage: "My arm and front wheel even hit the barriers, otherwise I would have won this last stage."

The former French champion managed two third places in Provence to go with his solid second place at Étoile de Bessèges the week before, as he hopes to start winning against some of the bigger names in sprinting in this season.

Sébastien Hinault, sports director of Arkéa-Samsic, after viewing the images said: "I respect the official's decision not to punish Ballerini, but I am convinced he made a mistake. He started his sprint two meters from the barriers and at the end Nacer cannot put his handlebars between him and the barriers.

"If Ballerini had been relegated, Nacer would have finished second, but without this mistake he would have competed for the win. That is why the disappointment is predominant at the moment. His elbow and wheel hit the fences, but as a sprinter he is not afraid."

Bouhanni has been in a few controversial sprints in his time - one such moment was at the 2016 Paris-Nice when the Frenchman forced yellow jersey Michael Matthews (then Orica-GreenEdge) into the barriers, amazingly avoiding a crash.

Matthews was given the win and Bouhanni was disqualified.

Ballerini said after the stage: "It was not easy to position myself well in the final, but the team did a great job. I was well positioned by Julian Alaphilippe and Zdenek Stybar, but I lacked a little leg strength with ten meters to go. That made the difference."

Nairo Quintana’s team will have to redraw their 2021 schedule after being left out of this year’s Giro d’Italia. 

The organisers of the Italian Grand Tour have officially announced all of the teams that will be competing in the 104th edition in May, with Quintana’s Arkéa-Samsic squad not included on the list. 

Instead, Alpecin-Fenix have qualified to race in Italy by being the best-ranked UCI ProTeam, while wild card invitations have been extended to three Italian squads - Bardiani CSF Faizane, Eolo-Kometa and Vin Zabu. 

Quintana, winner of the 2014 Giro, hinted that he might be considering racing in Italy again this year, having competed there twice already. 

The 31-year-old previously told ciclismocolombiano.com: “We’re waiting for them to give us the okay. We hope we can have it, because it’s a race I’ve really enjoyed.

“I’ve done it twice. I was first once and second the other time. It’s a race that’s quite favourable for me.” 

Quintana stepped down from the WorldTour at the end of 2019, leaving Movistar to join second-tier squad Arkéa-Samsic. 

The decision to leave the WorldTour means Quintana now relies on invitations from race organisers to the biggest races or must qualify for a place with his team.

French outfit Arkéa are not the only team to miss out on a Giro spot, as Italian team Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec were also left off the invitations list, much to the disappointment of team boss Gianni Savio. 

Ineos Grenadiers, guaranteed a spot as a WorldTour team, have announced that their Colombian star Egan Bernal will target the Giro d’Italia this year, after he was forced to withdraw from the Tour de France due to back problems in 2020. 

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Sir Dave Brailsford, team principal at Ineos Grenadiers, said he believes Bernal need to rediscover his love of racing, suggesting the 24-year-old may have become too focused on results. 

“I sat down with the sports director and we went through the race programme I’d be doing. Then he mentioned the Tour and just kind of slipped it into normal conversation,” said Connor Swift, who has just been selected to race his first Tour de France. 

“It was like ‘then you ride the Tour’ and I was like ‘oh bloody hell'.” 

Swift has been chosen to race alongside yellow jersey contender Nairo Quintana for Arkéa-Samsic in the 2020 Tour de France, which kicks off in Nice on Saturday (August 29). 

The 24-year-old’s rise to the biggest bike race in the world has been rapid, as just over a year ago he was racing for British Continental team Madison Genesis.

But after securing an unexpected victory in the 2018 British National Championships against WorldTour pros, Swift suddenly caught a lot of attention.

Mid-way through 2019 he was given the call-up from French ProTeam Arkéa, who drafted him to bolster André Greipel’s lead-out.

While Greipel’s time with the team was short-lived, Swift thrived at the pro level in 2019.

Then in 2020, the squad signed Nairo Quintana in the hopes of carrying home the yellow jersey in the Tour de France and suddenly Swift found himself with a double Grand Tour winner on his wheel. 

The Yorkshireman told Cycling Weekly: “I haven't even done a full professional cycling year yet.

“If you said to me at the beginning of 2019 I’d be riding the Tour de France and I’d be team-mates with Quintana - it's crazy how things unfold.”

The Tour de France will only be Swift's fifth WorldTour race he pointed out, after RideLondon and the Hamburg Cyclassics last year, and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Paris-Nice in 2020.

Swift said he was first given a hint that he might be included in the Arkéa Tour squad after the 2020 Paris-Nice, just before racing was suspended due to coronavirus. 

After putting in a shift in the crosswinds to protect Quintana during the race, the team gave him the hint he could make the long list. 

Then after performing well in the Tour de L’Occitanie after racing restarted, Swift was given his space alongside Quintana, Warren Barguil and Winner Anacona for the Tour. 

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He added: “I’ve dreamt of wanting to ride this race.

“Especially during Covid everyone’s wanting to race because they don’t know if there’s going to be a season after it. 

“It’s just massive to even get a place there.” 

Connor Swift has become the third confirmed Brit to ride the 2020 Tour de France, racing in support of Nairo Quintana. 

The 24-year-old has continued to deliver on his potential, having won the British National Championships in 2018 and stepping up to join ProTeam Arkéa-Samsic last season.

Since joining the French squad, Swift has become a key rider supporting Quintana in stage races, assisting him to overall victory in the 2020 Tour de La Provence and at Paris-Nice. 

Quintana and Arkéa-Samsic will be focussed on the general classification at the Tour, after the Colombian joined the team from Movistar at the start of the season. 

Sports director at Arkéa, Sébastien Hinault, said: “Clément Russo and Connor Swift will discover the Tour de France and the three-week races, but both have given proof of their solidity during this season during major races. Connor on the Paris-Nice roads by protecting Nairo during the stages, and Clément by doing a very big job in favour of his leaders on the roads of the recent Critérium du Dauphiné.”

Swift, a former Madison Genesis rider, racked up a number of promising results early in his career before his breakthrough result in the National Championships two years ago, where he beat WorldTour riders like Owain Doull and Ben Swift. 

He was then signed to Arkéa-Samsic from October 2019 to bolster André Greipel’s sprint train.

While Greipel’s time at Arkéa was short-lived, the team then signed Quintana for 2020 in the hopes of taking the yellow jersey. 

In July, Swift then extended his contract with the squad after impressing management during his first few months. 

Arkea-Samsic’s general manager Emmanuel Hubert said at the time: “This year he added a new dimension to his talent by protecting and replacing his leader Nairo Quintana, among others, on the stages of plains and borders of Paris-Nice, but also the sprint finishes by being part of the Nacer Bouhanni train, which proves the extent of the talent of this young rider.” 

Quintana has two Grand Tour victories to his name the 2014 Giro d’Italia and the 2016 Vuelta a España, but the Tour de France has always eluded him. 

Arkéa-Samsic squad for the Tour de France 2020 

Nairo Quintana (Col) 

Warren Barguil (Fra)

Connor Swift (GBr) 

Winner Anacona (Col) 

Dayer Quintana (Col)
Diego Rosa (Ita) 

Maxime Bouet (Fra)

Clément Russo (Fra) 

Nairo Quintana will make his return to the peloton at the Mont Ventoux one-day race, his team have confirmed.

The Colombian climbing star looked dominant early in 2020 as he won two out of three French stage races before the UCI suspended all events.

Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) will now be restarting his season on August 6 at the Mont Ventoux Denivelé Challenges, a climber’s one-day race that has caught the attention of the fans.

The brutal race, which made its debut on the cycling calendar last year, takes the peloton to the summit of the iconic Mont Ventoux climb in the Provence region of France.

The 2020 edition is quickly gathering a star-studded line-up, with Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) and Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) also schedule to race the 182km race.

Last season, Jesús Herrada (Cofidis) and Bardet  (Ag2r La Mondiale) went head to head on the slopes of Ventoux as the race landed in the cycling calendar with a bang.

But after Herrada took the victory by just nine seconds over the Frenchman, both riders will return for the 2020 edition, scheduled to run on Thursday, August 6.

The second edition of the race features as twist, as the peloton will ascend Mont Ventoux twice before the finish.

Riders will travel to the lower point of Chalet Reynard mid-way through the race, before heading to the classic summit after 182km of racing.

Starting from Vaison-la-Romaine, the racer heads over the Cols de Fontaube and Sault before the peloton hits the Bédoin ascent of Ventoux twice.

Quintana will be looking to pick up where he left off earlier this year, having already won five times in 2020.

His first victory came at the Tour de la Provence in February, where he claimed the Mont Ventoux/Chalet Reynard stage and took the overall.

He followed immediately with a stage victory and overall honours in the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var.

Quintana then took the final stage of Paris-Nice, the last race before the calendar was suspended.

>>> Mathieu van der Poel and his team pull out of first race due to coronavirus spike 

His 2020 schedule is now built around the Tour de France, as he is expected to head from Ventoux to the Tour de l’Ain, the Critérium du Dauphiné before the Tour stars in Nice on August 29.

Connor Swift will be spending another two seasons in the ProTeam ranks as he has extended his contract with Arkéa-Samsic.

The former British national champion joined the French squad mid-way through 2019 and has held his own among the best riders in the world.

Swift, 24, had joined the team to support German sprinter André Greipel but has since been working for Arkéa’s new star signing Nairo Quintana, impressing management along the way.

General manager Emmanuel Hubert said: “Connor Swift is a young rider with constant room for improvement.

“This year he added a new dimension to his talent by protecting and replacing his leader Nairo Quintana, among others, on the stages of plains and borders of Paris-Nice, but also the sprint finishes by being part of the Nacer Bouhanni train, which proves the extent of the talent of this young rider.”

Swift started his career with Madison Genesis on the domestic scene, before his breakthrough performance at the 2018 National Championships where he bested Adam Blythe and Owain Doull for the road race title.

In May last year he made the jump to Arkêa and debuted at the Four Days of Dunkirk where he rode alongside Greipel.

Since then he has gone on to race the Tour of Britain, the Saudi Tour, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Paris-Nice.

He said: “I’m happy to have re-signed with Arkéa-Samsic, which is a great outfit in which I can develop and really progress in the sport.

“I can work for my team-mates and sprint and mountain leaders when necessary, but I can also play my card when the opportunities for victory arise.

“These two years will also allow me to perfect my knowledge of the French language.

“The Arkéa-Samsic team has high ambitions for the future and I am delighted to be part of this great project.”

Arkéa also has a wildcard slot for the 2020 Tour de France, but the team has not yet announced their roster.

>>> ‘You’d risk becoming deathly ill’: Victor Campenaerts takes altitude training to a new extreme 

Could Swift make his Grand Tour debut on the biggest stage in cycling?

Nairo Quintana has heralded a “new era” for Arkéa-Samsic as he has won his first stage race since 2017.

The Colombian star put an end to his general classification drought in the Tour de la Provence last week, where he secured overall victory with a storming performance on Mont Ventoux.

Quintana made a significant change during the off-season, as he left Movistar after eight years to join UCI ProTeam Arkéa-Samsic.

After taking victory in France by more than a minute over Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana), the 30-year-old said: “It is a great joy to win the general classification of the Tour de la Provence, this is what I wanted as well as all my Arkéa-Samsic team-mates who were still dazzling today.

“We have worked hard to obtain this performance and the fact of having achieved it opens a new era for the entire Arkéa-Samsic team.”

Quintana emerged as the frontrunner in Provence during stage three, which featured a shortened ascent of the famous Mont Ventoux climb.

He stormed into the lead with stage victory, finishing 1-28 ahead of his nearest rival Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) at the line.

The victory his Quintana’s first overall title since the 2017 Tirreno-Adriatico, as he has struggled to reach former heights in the last few seasons.

After winning the Giro d’Italia in 2014 and the Vuelta a España in 2016, Quintana has turned his attention to the Tour de France but has not managed to repeat his former glories, finishing 12th, 10th and eighth in the last three editions.

>>> Racing ahead: Stellar line-ups battle it out in Algarve and Andalucía 

He said: “I am in good shape and on the next races on which I will line up, I can hope for good things.

“My first two victories of the season here in France are gifts for all cycling fans and all French supporters who follow me, and who support the Arkéa-Samsic team.

“It gives me strength and encouragement.”

Nacer Bouhanni put his winning drought behind him with an emphatic victory on stage four of the Saudi Tour.

The rambunctious Arkéa-Samsic Frenchman would not be denied in a chaotic sprint, launched 200 metres from the line, and held off Niccoló Bonifazio (Total Direct Energie) to take his first win since the 2018 Vuelta a España.

A hectic day of general classification racing offered some tense moments as race leader Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-McLaren) was forced to chase down his nearest rival Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates) after suffering a puncture, but splits in the peloton didn't stick and the race came down to a bunch gallop.

Despite a hard-fought stage by Bahrain-McLaren and Bauhaus, Bouhanni now leads the race thanks to bonus seconds at the line.

How it happened

Stage four of the inaugural Saudi Tour was an unusual stage, starting in Wadi Namar in the south of the capital Riyadh and finishing at the Al Muzahimiya King Saud University over 137km.

The course featured three climbs, the first of which came at 33km and was 1.3km at 7.85 per cent, before the peloton tackled two identical ascents of the Qiddiya climb (3.5km at 6.6 per cent) at 92 and 115km.

After tough racing kicked off the stage, seven riders formed the day’s breakaway with riders from all of the smaller teams represented, included Britain’s Jacob Tipper for Ribble-Weldtite.

The breakaway built their advantage to around five minutes with 60km to race, when UAE Team Emirates began to drill the front of the bunch to cause splits with around 40km to the line.

Despite the best efforts of Costa and his team, the peloton came back together and race leader Bauhaus kept the jersey on the road.

But disaster then struck Bauhaus when he suffered a puncture 26km from the line as the pace ramped up towards the last climb of the day.

Bahrain-McLaren sat up and waited for their leader, but it would take a huge effort to get the German back in touch with his nearest rival Costa.

Costa used the climb to extend the gap on the chasing Bahrain squad, gaining more than a minute on the road as part of a nine rider group.

Bauhaus made it back into the bunch, in park thanks to an enormous effort on the climb from Mark Cavendish, who stopped in his tracks at the end of his turn on the front, as Costa caught the breakaway.

The peloton was then reinvigorated on the flat run to the line by the return of the Bahrain riders and set off in pursuit of Costa, who found himself in a two-up time trial with a Circus-Wanty Gobert rider.

But inside 3km the peloton caught the leaders after Bauhaus put in a turn on the front himself, with Costa launching his bidon in anger at the catch.

Attacks then kicked off the front of the peloton at 2km, but nothing stuck as the peloton spread wide across the four-lane road, setting up a hugely chaotic run.

>>> Reinart Janse van Rensburg puts Rui Costa Saudi Tour crash behind him with handlebar warning 

Inside the final kilometre, Total Direct Energie hit the front for Bonifazio but Bouhanni launched his sprint first 200m out.

Head tucked down and rocking over the bike, Bouhanni fired in front and comfortably held off Bonfizio who left his move too late and had to settle for second on the stage .

Bouhanni takes the leader’s jersey from Bauhaus with two seconds over the German.

Costa appears to have had troubles in the final and finished 15 seconds down and slipped back to ninth overall, with Youcef Reguigui (Terngganu Inc-TSG) now third overall at 14 seconds.

Results

Saudi Tour 2020, stage four: Wadi Namar Park to Al Muzahimiya King Saud University (137km)

1. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic, in 3-21-55

2. Niccoló Bonifazio (Ita) Total Direct Energie

3. Yevgeniy Gidich (Kaz) Astana

4. Damiano Cima (Ita) Gazprom-RusVelo

5. Ivo Oliveira (Por) UAE Team Emireates

6. Adrien Garel (Fra) B&B Hotels-Vital Concept

7. Orluis Aular (Ven) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

8. Stephen Bassett (USA) Rally Cycling

9. Vladislav Kulikov (Rus) Gazprom-RusVelo

10. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-McLaren, all at same time

General classification after stage four

1. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic, in 14-34-49

2. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-McLaren, at 2s

3. Youcef Reguigui (Iri) Terngganu Inc-TSG, at 14s

4. Carlos Barbero (Esp) NTT Pro Cycling, at 16s

5. Sergei Chernetski (Rus) Gazprom-RusVelo, at 17s

6. Andreas Kron (Den) Riwal Readynez, at same time

7. Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) Total Direct Energie, at 18s

8. August jensen (Nor) Riwal Readynez, at same time

9. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 20s

10. Ramūnas Navardauskas (Lit) Nippo Delko One Provence, at 28s

André Greipel will leave Lotto-Soudal at the end of the season to join Fortuneo-Samsic, the French squad have announced.

The German's current team abruptly announced his departure on Twitter last week during the Tour de France, with no indication as to why, or where he would be heading next.

But the sprinter will now drop from the WorldTour to Pro Continental level to join the Bretagne team, who have had regular wildcard invites to take part in the Tour over recent years.

Fortuneo-Samsic also announced the Greipel would stay with them for at least two seasons, which will see him through until he turns 38 in 2020.

Greipel boasts a stunning palmarès through his time at HTC and Lotto, taking 11 Tour de France stage wins, seven at the Giro d'Italia and four at the Vuelta a España.

He has struggled for results in recent years however, managing to take a stage at the Giro in 2017, but without a win at the Tour since the 2016 edition when he was able to grab victory on the final stage to Paris.

In the 2018 Tour, Greipel's best result was third on stage four behind winner Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) and world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe). He later abandoned the Tour in the Alps on the 12th stage from Bourg-Saint-Maurice Les Arcs to Alpe d'Huez.

His new team, Fortuneo's current biggest name is Warren Barguil, who moved to the team after winning two stages at the 2017 Tour and the king of the mountains competition with Team Sunweb. The team also currently has former Quick-Step and Ag2r rider Maxime Bouet and former BMC Racing rider Amaël Moinard on their roster.

The Fortuneo-Samsic pro continental team have confirmed that they will be riding the bikes of Spanish brand BH at the Tour de France, when the race starts next week. It follows the announcement on Monday that the team and Look Cycles had parted ways.

Rather than a generic colour scheme, the team’s announcement shows a BH bike in the team’s white and green colours, suggesting that this move had been in the works for some time.

The team will ride the BH Ultralight Evo for road stages, with the announcement saying that the frame’s reinforcement at the most critical points will offer its riders extreme rigidity along with an unbeatable weight. Its features are likely to appeal to Warren Barguil, who will be aiming to repeat his two stage wins and polka dot jersey in last year’s Tour, when he rode for Sunweb.

BH will also provide its Aerolight time trial bike to the team.

In the announcement, Emmanuel Hubert, general manager of Fortuneo-Samsic states (in French): “I am very happy that my riders will tackle the Tour de France on BH bikes. It’s a model that has already shown its worth in the past.” Last year, Direct Energie were riding BH bikes, before switching to Wilier for this season.

According to a report yesterday in newspaper Ouest France, some of Fortuneo-Samsic’s riders just weren’t satisfied with Look’s machines, despite Look making modifications to try to address their requirements. The team’s riders also seem to have been frustrated by the lack of wins or high placings in this year’s races.

The team will continue to roll on wheels from Corima – a Look subsidiary – and Vittoria tyres. Look will also supply their pedals. They will use SRAM groupsets and Prologo saddles along with Elite bottles and cages. They’re all existing team suppliers.

In addition, Fortuneo-Samsic have announced that they will use Wahoo Elemnt Bolt computers and Wahoo heart rate monitors. Other components will come from FSA, which will supply its Powerbox power meter chainset.

It’s strange timing just before the Tour de France, but Look Cycles and Pro Continental team Fortuneo-Samsic have dissolved their partnership with immediate effect. It’s after Look’s four years plus of sponsorship of the team, based in Brittany, under its various names.

Fortuneo-Samsic has a wildcard for the Tour de France, starting on July 7. Last year, while riding for Sunweb, Fortuneo-Samsic’s star climber Warren Barguil had a dream Tour, winning two stages and the polka dot jersey.

According to a joint press release from Federico Musi, president of Look Cycle and Emmanuel Hubert, manager of Fortuneo-Samsic: “It has been a fruitful collaboration, grounded on a shared vision and passion to support and promote the best of French pro-cycling and of French manufacturing, Fortuneo-Samsic and Look Cycle both share ambitions for growth. We both wish each other good luck, starting from the upcoming Tour de France.”

“We will continue to engage with our fans and bring our products and brand closer to them in new, modern and more effective ways,“ continues Musi.

It’s not clear whether Look has another team up its sleeve, but with its history of sponsoring professional cycling, including Greg LeMond’s Tour de France win in 1986, it would be surprising if the brand abandoned racing. And it's recently partnered with SRM to launch the Exakt pedal-based power meter, which promises its users accurate power readings and loads of stats on their performance.

Likewise, it’s not known whose bikes Fortuneo-Samsic will be riding when they line up at the Tour’s Grand Départ in less than two weeks’ time.

Tour de France juries are known to be harsh every now and again, but Bretagne-Séché Environnement rider Eduardo Sepulveda can have few complaints after grabbing a lift for a few hundred metres on stage 14.

The Argentinian was disqualified at the finish of stage for hopping in a team car on the final climb up to Mende – but not his own car, one of rival French team Ag2r-La Mondiale.

>>> “I’m quite pleased”: Steve Cummings on his indescribable Tour win

Sepulveda's manager Emmanuel Hubert confirmed after the race that his rider had been disqualified and said the 24-year-old had mechanical problems on the climb.

"At the top of the climb he broke his chain and was rescued by the Ag2r team, who gave him a wheel thinking that was the problem," Hubert said.

"He was hidden by the car and I didn't see him. I stopped 100 metres further up and Eduardo, instead of coming to the car on foot, covered the 100 metres on the backseat of the AG2R car. There is nothing to say. The rules applied."

>>> Chris Froome hit with urine as Tour de France fans get nasty

Sepulveda, who was sitting 19th in the general classification, reportedly hitched a lift because he couldn't walk up the hill, which reached gradients of 11 per cent, in his cleats.

But his little manoeuvre didn't go unnoticed as the race jury fined him 200 Swiss Francs and booted him off the Tour.

British rider Dan McLay has been signed by the French Bretagne-Séché Environnement team for 2015. However, he admitted that there was the occasional time in the past few months where he feared a professional contract would pass him by.

The sprinter signed a two-year deal with the French outfit yesterday , recognition of his four years of success racing for Lotto-Belisol U23 which included wins at the Tour de l’Avenir and Tour of Normandie this year.

The New Zealand-born 22-year-old told Cycling Weekly that while he understood that “a lot of teams wait to decide their squad, there were a few nerve-wracking moments. But I kept telling myself that all I can do is win the races that I ride.”

The move to the UCI Professional Continental-level team, who raced in the 2014 Tour de France, was finalised soon after they expressed an interest in the rider who becomes the latest Dave Rayner Fund success: “I’d spoken to other teams but these were the first team to who wanted to sign me straight away,” he revealed.

“It all came about quickly. The first contact was three weeks ago and it has gone from there.

“I don’t know much about their reasoning for signing me but I have ridden my biggest races and victories in France so that’s probably played a part.”

It is likely that McLay will be located in Spain but it is the familiar hunting ground of Belgium where he harbours his early season hopes.

He continued: “They’re keen on riding more Classics in Belgium which appeals to me. I’d like to ride as many Classics as possible but beyond that it’s hard to say what my programme will be because it depends on how I ride and how strong the other riders ride.

“It’s an interesting team and I know I will get my chance with them. They will probably get a wildcard for next year’s Tour again, fingers crossed.

“I always begin the season strongly and when you have a good start you become more focused for the second half of the season.”

Dan McLay joins Bretagne-Séché for 2015

Fledgling British rider and Tour de l'Avenir stage winner signs for ProConti French squad.

Dan McLay wins Tour de l’Avenir stage

Dan McLay, riding for GB in the Tour de l’Avenir, won stage three sprint which finished in Paray-le-Monial

Dan McLay continues to impress on continent

Stage win in Paris-Arras Tour for British Lotto-Belisol under-23 rider Dan McLay

Highly-rated British rider Dan McLay will join second division French team Bretagne-Séché for 2015, it was announced today.

McLay, who finished seventh in yesterday's Paris-Tours Espoirs and took a stage win in August's Tour de l'Avenir, has previously raced for the Lotto-Belisol under-23 development squad.

The 22-year-old was born in New Zealand and has been supported by the Dave Rayner Fund since 2011. He has signed a two-year deal with the team.

Bretagne rode their first Tour de France this year, and among those joining McLay for next year will be multiple Tour de France stage winner Pierrick Fédrigo and current Raleigh rider Matthieu Boulo.

Dan McLay wins Tour de l’Avenir stage

Dan McLay, riding for GB in the Tour de l’Avenir, won stage three sprint which finished in Paray-le-Monial

Dan McLay continues to impress on continent

Stage win in Paris-Arras Tour for British Lotto-Belisol under-23 rider Dan McLay

Dan McLay wins Tour de Normandie stage three

Dan McLay starts season strongly in Europe

British under-23 Lotto-Belisol rider Dan McLay places second in Rabobank Dorpenomloop Rucphen

McLay dominant in Belgium

Thursday's British News round-up: Young Brit wins abroad again, youngsters have tough time in Tuscany, Bob Wilson rides for charity

Dan McLay, who has been riding for the Lotto-Belisol under-23 team for the past two seasons, added a very useful win to his palmares with victory in stage three of the prestigious Tour de l’Avenir.

The 143km stage, between Montrond-les-Bains and Paray-le-Monial ended in a ragged, strung-out ‘bunch’ sprint and was marred by a crash in the final four kilometres which took out fast-finishing Australian Caleb Ewan - winner of the previous day’s stage - and Italian sprinter Davide Martinelli.

“It was under control until the crash,” said GB team manager Keith Lambert, “the Danes were riding because they had the overall lead and the Australians helping out, riding for a sprint, but after Ewan went down then it was all over the place. Guys were attacking in twos and threes, just constant attacks and it was pretty technical in the run in, especially in the last two kilometres.”

But so far the GB team has had a rider finishing in the top 10 on every stage with Owain Doull showing well. Welshman Doull was held up in the crash and McLay had to make his own way in the final kilometres.

“None of the teams were able to organise any kind of control or lead out,” continued Lambert, “so Dan did a great job on his own, he made the right choice when he went for a long one, with about 500 meters to go. He’s been a little bit guilty in the past of holding back and not having the self-confidence but he got it spot-on today.”

Today’s third stage marked the end of the ‘easy’ days and from here to the finish, the stages are either ‘lumpy’ or straight-up mountain top finishes.

“The boys are all still fit and healthy and the climbers here have had a relatively easy time, so it’s over to them now. No pressure like!” laughed Lambert, pleased so far that his team are in a good position and in good spirits.

“Owain isn’t a million miles off the points jersey and he’s climbing well, but you can’t tell yet who’s going well and not in the other teams. Tomorrow (Wednesday) everyone will be forced to show their hands.”

Strong British team for Tour de l'Avenir

Words by Chris Marshall-Bell

Dan Mclay has continued his rise to being recognised as one of Europe’s brightest young sprinters by claiming a stage win and a podium position in the Paris-Arras Tour.

The 22-year-old competed in the UCI 2.2 Paris-Arras Tour across last weekend and won the final 170km stage from Arras to Arras.

The Lotto-Belisol U23 rider, who won the points classification at the recent Tour de Normandie, came third in the 28.1km time-trial and finished fourth overall, ten seconds down from winner Maxime Vantomme of Roubaix Lille Metropole.

The other standout British result on foreign soil in the past week was the 10th placed finish for Mark McNally, 24, in the Simac Omloop der Kempen UCI 1.2 race in Holland.

McNally, of AN Post–Chain Reaction, rode to third place at the Rutland–Melton International CiCLE Classic at the end of April.

Dan McLay wins Tour de Normandie stage three

Dan McLay starts season strongly in Europe

British under-23 Lotto-Belisol rider Dan McLay places second in Rabobank Dorpenomloop Rucphen

Dan McLay (Lotto-Belisol U23) claimed the bunch sprint win at the end of the third stage in the Tour de Normandie in Argentan on Thursday.

Marco Benfatto (CT Astana) placed second with Daniel Hoelgaard (Etixx) in third. British riders Yanto Barker (Raleigh) and Owain Doull (An Post-Chain Reaction) placed fourth and sixth respectively.

McLay's victory is the second stage win for a British rider in the 2014 edition of the northern French stage race after Tom Moses (Rapha Condor JLT) won stage one. Moses continues to lead overall, with McLay moving up to third. Prologue winner Stefan Kung (BMC Development) is in second.

McLay has been building his form in Europe in recent weeks, placing second  in the Rabobank Dorpenomloop Rucphen in the Netherlands earlier in March.

Tom Moses wins stage one of the Tour de Normandie

British Rapha Condor JLT rider takes solo victory in rain-swept conditions to move into overall lead in France

Dan McLay starts season strongly in Europe

British under-23 Lotto-Belisol rider Dan McLay places second in Rabobank Dorpenomloop Rucphen

Words by Josh Cunningham

British rider Dan McLay, who rides for the Under-23 Lotto Belisol team, finished on the podium last weekend after a sprint finish saw him come second in the Rabobank Dorpenomloop Rucphen, a UCI 1.2 race in Holland.

Rucphen is a small town just across the Belgian border, where McLay himself is based, and after placing second in the same race last year too, there was evidently an opportunity the Leicestershire man sensed he could seize.

“It was a flat race, with the possibility of some wind,” the 22 year old said, “so it was naturally a little nervous. We don’t usually ride for a sprint, but if it comes down to it I’m normally the guy we ride for.”

After taking five podium positions at UCI races during 2013, claiming leadership responsibilities in such a high profile team is quite understandable.

“I was second here last year, and sixth the year before that,” he says, “so I have a good record but no win! I rode a good race, but my chain was skipping on the sprockets during the sprint. It might have been a different result otherwise, but I’m still happy with my condition.”

With the race’s UCI status also came an accomplished field of starters, including the continental Leopard team, as well as development squads from BMC and Giant-Shimano. But in the words of McLay: “I don’t see our team on a different level to those guys. The fact we have 23 riders means we’re unable to be continental, so maybe the level of support is a little different, but performance wise I think the team and myself are at least on the same level.”

The result in Rucphen would certainly attest such claims, and this weekend will see McLay look to further underline his form back in action at Omloop Van Het Waasland in Belgium – another UCI 1.2 on Sunday 16th. From there he has the Tour of Normandie in France, before starting preparation for the Nations Cups and the Tour of Brittany in April.

“I hope people will be watching,” says McLay, “but the season is only just starting; a lot can happen yet.”

McLay dominant in Belgium

Thursday's British News round-up: Young Brit wins abroad again, youngsters have tough time in Tuscany, Bob Wilson rides for charity

Berlin 6-Day Second Place for Moses and McLay

Friday's British news round-up: Berlin 6-day success, the Tour of Langkawi, Motorpoint launch, and more...

McLay crowned junior national champ

Junior Road Race National Champs: Dan McLay takes sprint win in Wales; Owain Doull wins Welsh junior champs

McLay second in junior Paris-Roubaix, World Champ Stuyven wins

Britain's Daniel McLay finishes a strong second in the junior edition of Paris-Roubaix