VeloNews January/February 2021

The passing of historic eras often takes years or even decades to conclude. In pro cycling, eras come and go in the blink of an eye. We’re living through one of these lightning-quick shifts at the moment. Fresh-faced new stars of the sport like Remco Evenepoel, Liane Lippert, and Mathieu van der Poel have risen to the top, while our decorated veterans Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali, and others now struggle to keep pace. In this first VeloNews issue of 2021 — traditionally, our international road season preview — we examine seven riders who are driving on this generational shift. Some of these riders are youngsters from Generation Z: Tadej Pogačar, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Chloé Dygert, Marc Hirschi, and Elynor Bäckstedt. Two others are up-and-coming millennials who are poised to jump to…

Take a hike Yara Kastelijn of the Netherlands leads the pack up a super steep run-up during the Jaarmarkcross race in Niel, Belgium, on November 11. Kastelijn finished fourth place, 30 seconds behind winner Lucinda Brand of the Netherlands. Dutch riders swept the top-five spots at the race. CAMERA: NIKON D5 LENS: 24-70MM F/2.8 EXPOSURE: 1/800 SEC, F/2.8 ISO: 500 11 Cyclocross races started by Lucinda Brand as of December 3. 5 Cyclocross races won by Lucinda Brand as of December 3. Sloppy soles Shoes easily disappeared in the thick mud at the Jaarmarkcross race in Niel, Belgium on November 11. Laurens Sweeck of Belgium and Lucinda Brand of The Netherlands won the elite races, which comprised the second round of the Telenet Superprestige Cup. CAMERA: NIKON D5 LENS: 70-200MM F/2.8 EXPOSURE: 1/1250 SEC, F/2.8 ISO: 800 71 Elite men's starters 57 Elite women's starters…

Why did you choose Canyon-SRAM? As much as I love the racing aspect of bikes, for me to stay in the sport, to continue it, as annoying as it may sound, I need my special treatment. I want to keep it fun, I want to keep it me, I don't want to change myself. That’s the biggest thing for me, they don’t want to change me, they don’t want to take my coach or my pink away. Every other team wanted to take something from me. When they first started the team, they’ve always showed interest in me and continued. I admire that and looking at the team now, with their bikes, it was kind of a no brainer. And they have the most pink. Does moving to the road have anything…

JIM COTTON Contributor I vote Tadej Pogačar for this one. He’s still only 22 years old and having proven himself twice now at grand tours, he seems here to stay. His Tour de France win this summer more than backed up a third place at the Vuelta in 2019. The ace in Pogačar’s sleeve is that he also has the potential in one-day races. He’s still finding his feet in the classics, and has still managed to scoop a podium place at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and top results at other major races including Fleche Wallone, Strade Bianche and Milano-Sanremo. And unlike Remco Evenepoel, Egan Bernal, and Tao Geoghegan Hart, he’s not coming back from serious injury or threatened by leadership battles within his own team. Pogačar is signed with UAE Team Emirates through 2024…

Cycling fans from the 1980s and 1990s came to love Mexican rider Raul Alcala for his otherworldly strength on the long climbs at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. Alcala’s teammates came to love him for his famous sense of humor. In this image, taken at the Dutch team PDM Cassette’s winter training camp in Solden, Austria, Alcala shows off that sense of humor to his teammates on the slippery ski slopes. Do Mexican pro cyclists know how to ski? It’s a question that Alcala’s posture and smiling grimace appear to answer in the funniest way possible. According to photographer Cor Vos, who snapped the image, the camp marked the first time that Alcala had experienced snow and skiing in his life. Alcala formed one half of PDM’s Tour de France squad…

MOONSHADE At the trailhead or in the parking lot before the race, the Moonshade gives you a spot to escape the elements with a 9x7-foot coverage. It’s only 8 pounds, and it has multiple convenient attachment options, including vehicle magnets. $325 VITTORIA AIR LINER GRAVEL These gravel liners will help prevent flats, improve your cornering stability, and allow you to ride home on a deflating tire. They’ll protect your rims and improve your handling. $30 GIRO HELIOS HELMET With MIPS Spherical borrowed from its more expensive sibling, the Aether, the Helios is a lighter and less expensive option with the same great MIPS protection. $250 WILIER TRIESTINA FILANTE SLR AERO BIKE Wilier Triestina has added to its arsenal of race bikes for its pro teams — Total Direct Energie and Astana Pro Team — with this svelte…