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As well as the Albanian grande partenza, the other story in this piece is that parent company RCS could separate off or sell its sports events business RCS Sport as in the Giro etc, with Saudi fund PIF speculatively mentioned as a buyer

Wrote earlier RCS could separate its sports events business. It's happening, official 🇮🇹 notice for combining RCS Sport (race organisation) + RCS Sports & Events (marketing) into new company separate from RCS MediaGroup. Unclear who is new owner, any payments from sale etc

//INRNG: 2025 Pro cycling calendar - free for your phone, diary etc inrng.com/2024/11/2025-p…

2025 WorldTour budgets via La Gazzetta. Total for 18 men's teams is €570m, mean avg. is €32m, median €27m & avg. wage now >€500k. For Women's WorldTour, total is €70m, €4.7m avg. per team. Men's budget up by 33% since 2022, Women's WT doubled gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/01-12… (🇮🇹,€)

Top story with Belgian newspapers is Remco Evenepoel has had an accident while out training, Het Laatste Nieuws reports a collision with a postal vehicle. He's been taken to hospital, Belgian media will have updates soon

Presumably a curated blend of lavender, pine, thyme and burnt clutch plate

Here it is, Tom Pidcock signs for Q36.5, 3 year deal q36-5procycling.com/tom-pidcock-jo…

Vélo d'Or ceremony and Luis Angel Maté wins the Gino Mäder prize, for his work to help replant trees in the Sierra Bermeja after forest fires, says he took inspiration from talking to Mäder at the Vuelta. Mäder's parents there to make the award

Vélo d'Or goes to Lotte Kopecky and Tadej Pogačar, both also win the Eddy Merckx trophy for best classics rider. Pogačar present at the ceremony asked about trying to win all three grand tours in a season says "I can just do two for now" and his team mates want their chances too.

2025 FDJ - SUEZ kit reassuringly similar to this year 👍

Decathlon-Ag2r team presentation in English, including likes of Lapeira, Cosnefroy, Paret-Peintre on mic (screen behind had 🇫🇷 subtitles), wouldn't have happened a few years ago. One detail from brief interviews is Felix Gall unsure which races he'll do, ie Tour not certain.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe confirm signing Maxim Van Gils, their ninth signing for 2025 redbullborahansgrohe.com/news/welcome-m…

Official name of UAE Emirates team for 2025 is "UAE Emirates XRG". XRG is a new spin-off gas, chemicals and energy company from ADNOC, the Emirati national oil and gas company that's been a sponsor of the team already

Dauphiné opening stage revealed. It's hilly and uses roads from the 2022 Paris-Nice time trial won by Van Aert. Climbs harder than numbers suggest, eg Buffon has parts at 12%. Made for Julian Alaphilippe who was born in Montluçon. Full route unveiled on on 29 January.

Nokere Koerse changes its finish for 2025, no more Nokereberg finish. It's for safety, the approach which was crash-prone, had been given "1 out of 10" safety rating reports Nieuwsblad nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf2024121… (🇳🇱)

Rik Van Looy tale: one day his son comes home from school with bad grades. Van Looy criticises him, the boy replies "well you can't win a classic any more". Eight days later 34 year old Van Looy wins his first Flèche Wallonne, completes feat of winning every classic on calendar.

Go on, take another chocolate

RIP Gianni Savio