Six things to look out for in February

While the weather here in the UK has taken a sudden turn towards the arctic, there is still plenty to look forward to in the coming month.

The racing season has kicked off for 2019 with some thrills and spills, both in Australia and now in South America at the Vuelta a San Juan and is set to continue next month.

There are also exciting tech developments on the way as well as some events to keep an eye on.

Coming up in the next month we have a sportive, some more early season stage races with some quality fields, and some exciting content coming from the Cycling Weekly office.

Cambridgeshire Classic sportive - February 24

For those of you not afraid to get out in the adverse weather of British winter, there is a February sportive that could be perfect for you.

The Cambridgeshire Classic is a gentle early season ride to get your year of events underway, with distances suitable for all abilities.

Leaving the Peterborough Showground, the course features a mix of small climbs, undulating terrain and some faster flat sections.

There are distances of 70, 52 and 34 miles on offer.

Find out more about the event here.

Chris Froome and Egan Bernal return to racing – February 12-17

The return of Chris Froome to racing each year is always big news, as we look ahead to his larger goals for the season.

But this year’s opener for the Brit is more anticipated than usual as he joins young superstar Egan Bernal in Colombia.

>>> Chris Froome takes time trial bike off-road in latest Strava ride

Currently operating under a few names – Colombia Oro y Paz, Tour Colombia and Colombia 2.1 – this week-long stage race will see Froome and Bernal ride side-by-side for the first time since the Tour de France.

The Lead Out – February 7

The Lead Out is Cycling Weekly’s monthly racing programme, which will delve into the first month of the season gone by, as Daryl Impey took back-to-back Tour Down Under victories, Richie Porte won on Willunga Hill once again and Elia Viviani showcased his dominance in the sprints.

We’ll also be analysing Mark Cavendish's return to racing at the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina.

We then preview and look ahead to the upcoming races at the UAE Tour and opening weekend at Omloop Het Nieuwsblaad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.

Expected release date at 8pm on Thursday February 7 on the Cycling Weekly YouTube channel, with the podcast follow on Friday, February 8.

Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel do battle for rainbow jersey – February 3

Wout Van Aert at the Koksijde World Cup race (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)

For many cycling fans, the winter months mean one thing – cyclocross.

The 2018/19 CX season has seen a familiar narrative develop, with Mathieu van der Poel dominating almost every round, followed by world champion Wout van Aert.

On February 3 the cyclocross World Championships will be held in Bogense, Denmark, with Van Aert and European champion van der Poel settling who will carry the rainbow jersey for the next year.

In the women’s race, Sanne Cant will aim to defend her title against the likes of Lucinda Brand, Marianne Vos as well as Britain’s Nikki Brammeier and Helen Wyman.

Lazer releases new aero helmet to the public – January 31

Helmet brand Lazer first unveiled their new aero Bullet 2.0 at the Tour Down Under earlier this month.

The kit promises aerodynamics that don’t compromise ventilation.

The helmet debuted on the heads of the Team Jumbo Visma and Team Sunweb at the Tour Down Under, who will use it in partnership with the Lazer Z1, the brand’s all round, non aero helmet.

The new helmet, available from 31st of January, will cost £219.99 or £239.99 for the MIPs equipped model. The helmet will be available in black, white, yellow, blue and red colours.

Grand Tour favourites test their legs in the Middle East – February 24-March 2

Another exciting addition for 2019 is the UAE Tour.

The amalgamation of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi is the only WorldTour race in the Middle East and is expected to draw an outstanding field of riders.

Grand Tour contenders including Chris Froome (Team Sky), Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) are due to attend.

World Champion Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and holder of the time trial rainbow jersey Rohan Dennis (Bahrain-Merida) will also line up.

Other big name riders expected include Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo), Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emiraes), young star Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck – Quick-Step), Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal),  Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Sky), Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb), Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) and the Norweigian Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates).