Cycling

Just hours after his team-mates threw away a golden opportunity to win a stage at the Giro d'Italia, Marc Soler hit out before winning the 151.6km second stage at the Vuelta a España from Pamplona to Lekunberri. The victory, which was achieved on the home roads of Movistar, will have been a huge relief for the Spanish team who have had a disappointing season having taken only one win all year back in February. Soler's win came after he attacked on the descent off the final climb of the day, perhaps taking advantage of local knowledge as careered around the corners at speed, gaining on a select group. Soler completed the stage in 3hrs 47min 4sec, 19sec ahead of Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) who retained his overall leader's jersey. Dan Martin (Israel Start-up Nation) again impressed, finishing third to gain some bonus seconds that propelled him to second on general classification. Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) dropped to third overall after finishing fourth on the day, but took hold of the mountains jersey. The Vuelta continues on Thursday with the 163km run from Lodosa to La Laguna Negra de Vinuesa and concludes on November 8 in Madrid.

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT VIDEO SHOWS: CYCLIST PATRICK SEABASE CYCLING IN SWISS ALPS ON A BIKE WITH NO BRAKES AND ONLY ONE GEAR / SOUNDBITES FROM SEABASE TALKING ABOUT THE CHALLENGE SHOWS: INNERTKIRCHEN, SWITZERLAND (SEPTEMBER 1, 2020) (RED BULL CONTENT POOL - SEE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE USE) 1. PATRICK SEABASE TAKING SELFIE VIDEO EXPLAINING HE WILL BE CYCLING IN SWITZERLAND 2. SEBASE UNLOADING BIKE FROM CAR IN THE DARK 3. SEABASE CYCLING IN THE DARK 4. SEABASE CYCLING IN A TUNNEL UNKNOWN LOCATIONS, SWITZERLAND (SEPTEMBER 1, 2020) (RED BULL CONTENT POOL - SEE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE USE) 5. VARIOUS OF SEABASE CYCLING IN THE SWISS ALPS 6. SEABASE CYCLING INTO A TUNNEL 7. SEABASE IN THE RAIN BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD 8. SEABASE CYCLING / SOUND OF COW BELLS 9. SEABASE CYCLING BY COWS 10. CLOSE OF BIKE CHAIN WHILE SEABASE PEDALS 11. SEABASE GOING DOWNHILL INNERTKIRCHEN, SWITZERLAND (RECENT) (RED BULL CONTENT POOL - SEE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE USE) 12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK SEABASE, SAYING: "This route represents to me, my little Switzerland. My favourite climbs, my favourite locations to be at, and it has a very personal aspect to it. It represents sort of my youth as well, where I went all the time with my parents." 13. WHITE FLASH 14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK SEABASE, SAYING: "So I tried to create a route, sort of the mini Switzerland, how I like Switzerland, what I like about Switzerland. It's very representative in terms of the beauty and also the diversity of Switzerland you know." UNKNOWN LOCATIONS, SWITZERLAND (SEPTEMBER 1, 2020) (RED BULL CONTENT POOL - SEE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE USE) (MUTE) 15. VARIOUS DRONE FOOTAGE OF SEABASE ON ROUTE INNERTKIRCHEN, SWITZERLAND (RECENT) (RED BULL CONTENT POOL - SEE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE USE) 16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK SEABASE, SAYING: "The main difference between a road bike and a track bike is, there's only one gear, on the track bike there's no brakes, no physical handbrakes and as soon as the wheel turns, the pedal turns as well. So you're basically constantly pedalling." VARIOUS LOCATIONS, SWITZERLAND (SEPTEMBER 1, 2020) (RED BULL CONTENT POOL - SEE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE USE) 17. VARIOUS OF SEABASE CYCLING 18. VIEW OF SEABASE CYCLING IN ROADSIDE MIRROR INNERTKIRCHEN, SWITZERLAND (RECENT) (RED BULL CONTENT POOL - SEE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE USE) 19. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK SEABASE, SAYING: "But will power is the most important thing." 20. WHITE FLASH 21. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK SEABASE, SAYING: "Do I wanna do it? If I chose to do it, yes, I'm gonna do it. Try my best." 22. WHITE FLASH 23. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK SEABASE, SAYING: "The biggest challenge to me is always before the actual challenge, it's the day approaching the Day X, the day before is crazy, because you sort of, you're in doubt, and you're always biased, ok yes I prepared I can do it, but on the other hand there's still doubt. But I think that is the healthiest thing to have doubt." GRIMSEL PASS, SWITZERLAND (SEPTEMBER 1, 2020) (RED BULL CONTENT POOL - SEE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE USE) (MUTE) 24. DRONE SHOT OF SEABASE CYCLING DOWNHILL IN DARK ON HAIRPIN BENDS 25. DRONE SHOT OF SEABASE WRITTEN ON ROADSIDE OBERAARSEE, SWITZERLAND (SEPTEMBER 1, 2020) (RED BULL CONTENT POOL - SEE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE USE) 26. SEABASE CYCLING IN DARK 27. SEABASE ARRIVING AT FINISH 28. SEABASE EATING PRETZEL-TYPE SNACK STORY: Cycling 330 kilometres (205 miles) in a day, including climbing 8,500 metres, is hard enough, let alone doing it in just one fixed gear. But Swiss rider Patrick Seabase did just that in the Swiss Alps, setting off in the darkness at three o'clock in the morning in early September for the toughest challenge of his career. Seabase is no stranger to doing things the hard way, from the steep unpaved roads of Eritrea to experiencing how Tour de France contenders in 1910 had to cope with very basic bikes. For his latest stunt, unBRAKEable, he chose roads closer to home on a bike designed to race counter-clockwise around a velodrome and with only one gear. In all, he crossed five Swiss mountain passes with the temperature fluctuating between 28-degrees and near freezing, and faced both steep descents and harsh headwinds. As for the route chosen for unBRAKEable, it was selected to go past landmarks - both natural and manmade - that meant a lot to him. "This route is 100% based on memories, on the beauty of the landscape and architecture," he said. "I get a lot of energy out of the cultural milestones I pass by, like the Ganter Bridge for example." He set off from Innertkirchen and then went across the Grimsel and Simplon Passes on his way to Locarno by Lago Maggiore. From there, he crossed the Gotthard Pass, Furka Pass and the back part of the Grimsel Pass before his finishing point in Oberaarsee. (Production: Iain Axon)

Australian Ben O'Connor won the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia, a 203-km mountain trek from Bassano del Grappa, as Joao Almeida retained the overall lead at the end of a quiet day for the top contenders on Wednesday. O'Connor gave the NTT team, who are looking for a sponsor for next year, a much-needed win as he prevailed from the day's 18-man breakaway ahead of Austrian Hermann Pernsteiner and Belgian Thomas de Gendt. Portuguese Almeida faced only one brief attack from Australian Jai Hindley in the final climb up to Madonna di Campiglio as he stayed 17 seconds ahead of Dutch Wilco Kelderman in the overall standings.

When is stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia? Stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia is on Thursday October 22, 2020. What time does the stage start? Racing at stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia, the 207km run from Pinzolo to Laghi di Cancano, gets under way at 9.20am (BST). What time will Thursday's stage end? According to the scheduled timings issued by the organisers, the stage will conclude at around 3.30pm, depending on the speed of the race. And when does the race finish? The second grand tour of the season concludes on Sunday October 25 with the 15.7km individual time trial from Cernusco sul Naviglio to Milan. What TV channel can I watch the race on? Eurosport and S4C will be broadcasting every stage live each day — click here for full stage-by-stage details of broadcast times — while Telegraph Sport will provide live blogs to keep you up to speed with the latest news. Bookmark this page for all of Thusrday's action. And what time is the live coverage? Stage 18: Pinzolo to Laghi di Cancano, 207km Telegraph Sport liveblog: From 12.30pm Live TV details: Eurosport2 11.25am-3.45pm, S4C 1pm-end of stage What does the stage profile look like?

When Fausto Coppi purportedly said "age and treachery would always overcome youth and skill" one assumes he was at the tailend of his career. If not the greatest Italian rider of all time, then with five Giro d'Italia titles, along with three from Milan-Sanremo, five at Giro di Lombardia and a hatful of Italian one-day classics on his palmarès, few would be able to argue convincingly that Coppi should not be named in the top one. Little wonder he was nicknamed Il Campionissimo, the Champion of Champions. Like Eddy Merckx, it is doubtful the likes of Coppi will ever be seen again. Although his palmarès falls some distance short of Coppi's, just one rider in the current peloton carries the sort of clout that despite trailing race leader Joao Almeida by 3min 31sec can be considered a danger: Vincenzo Nibali, the 35-year-old Italian who has won all three grand tours. While it is simply impossible not to be impressed by Almeida, 22, and his brilliantly organised Deceuninck-Quick Step team-mates, the grand tour debutant is about to enter uncharted territory. And he knows it. On Tuesday, Almeida said he was "expecting the worst" before adding "anything" could go wrong this week. It was far from inspiring stuff. Sunweb leader Wilco Kelderman and his relatively inexperienced team-mate Jai Hindley, riding his third grand tour, are looking good in second and third respectively. Tao Geoghegan Hart, the de facto leader at Ineos Grenadiers following Geraint Thomas's premature departure, meanwhile, has ridden a particularly impressive Giro, growing into his new role and looking increasingly mature as each stage clicks on by. It is difficult, though, to dismiss the feeling that something dramatic is about to happen. This is the Giro and this race does drama like no other. With the race scheduled to go over the Stelvio Pass — 2,758 metres above sea level — on Thursday and with temperatures plummeting, it is highly possible that the stages will be re-routed. Although the snow-capped pass is perfectly navigable on a bike as it is regularly done in the Giro's regular slot in late May, the cooler October climate means the windchill factor on descents would potentially bring temperatures down to as low as -40°C. Whether or not Wednesday and Thursday's stages in the high mountains go ahead as originally planned, along with Saturday's penultimate stage — scheduled to crest the Colle dell'Agnello (2,744m) — remains to be seen. If they do then Almeida, Kelderman, Hindley, Geoghegan Hart and whoever else is hoping to finish on the podium in Milan on Sunday may want to ride with one eye focused on the wily old campaigner Nibali. In fact, Geoghegan Hart alluded to this after his stage win on Sunday. With reference to team-mate Chris Froome's sensational turnaround on the Sestriere in 2018, Geoghegan Hart said: "I would expect some of the big names didn't come here for 11th or 12th on GC [general classification], so maybe they will try something spectacular, Froomey style." The Italian may have lost three key team-mates — Gianluca Brambilla, Giulio Ciccone and Pieter Weening — and he may have looked out of sorts of late, but not until Nibali has hung up his wheels should he ever be dismissed. He is one of the greatest bike racers of a generation. Lest we forget, Nibali has form when it comes to these situations at the Giro. Four years ago Nibali trailed race leader Steven Kruijswijk by almost five minutes with three stages remaining. After the Dutchman crashed on the descent of the Colle dell'Agnello, Nibali went on to win the stage and climb to second overall on general classification. The following day Nibali took pink and all but sewed up his second maglia rosa. It was peak Nibali. Coppi, though, did not only win bike races by virtue of age and treachery. In 1940, through a combination of youth — aged 20 years and 268 days — and skill he became the youngest winner of the Giro. A record that, quite remarkably given the advancements in sports science, still stands. Whether or not age and treachery will win this most unpredictable of Giri, or youth and skill prevails remains to be seen. But if there is one thing we have learned this year it is this: the dogmas of cycling mean little to the new generation. Just like a young Coppi would have wanted it.

Chris Froome admitted earlier this week that he was not sure what to expect from himself at this year’s Vuelta a Espana, saying that he planned to “take the first few days to see exactly where his form was at� given his stop-start return from a life-threatening accident last year. The seven-time grand tour champion was not extended even that courtesy on Tuesday as a brutal first stage in the Basque Country saw him shelled from the back of the bunch on the penultimate climb. Froome eventually lost over 11 minutes to stage winner Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma). His Vuelta hopes are over already. It was always unlikely that the 35-year-old, who is competing in his final race for Ineos Grenadiers after 11 years at the team, would be in contention for the overall. Despite the confidence he expressed early in lockdown that he was training at his old levels and that he could pick up where he left off at the Criterium du Dauphine last summer, Froome was clearly a long way short of his best when racing resumed in August. After leaving Froome out of Ineos's Tour de France lineup, Dave Brailsford said that it made sense to give the four-time Tour winner a few more weeks to build some form and have a crack at the Vuelta, a race he has twice won before. But Froome is clearly not in shape to compete with the race favourites in Spain. On what was in fairness a brutal first stage, he lost contact with the main group on the short, sharp Elgata climb, around 16km from the finish atop the Alto de Arrate. Froome fought hard, briefly regaining contact before his team-mates ramped up the pace to try and set up Richard Carapaz for the stage. The Ecuadorean eventually finished second behind Roglic, who takes the first red jersey of the race, the duo leading home a select group which included Britain’s Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling).

Defending Vuelta champion Primoz Roglic won the opening stage of this year's delayed edition, a 173-km trek from Irun as the race got off to an explosive start on Tuesday. The Slovenian, who lost the Tour de France yellow jersey on the last competitive stage last month, powered away from a small group of top contenders with one km to go in the Alto de Arrate. Ecuador's Richard Carapaz took second place one second behind as his Ineos-Grenadiers team mate and Britain's four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome was dropped before the final ascent, a 5.3km effort at an average gradient of 7.7%, just like France's Thibaut Pinot.

When is stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia? Stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia is on Wednesday October 21, 2020. What time does the stage start? Racing at stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia, the 202km run from Bassano del Grappa to Madonna di Campiglio, gets under way at 9.30am (BST). What time will Wednesday's stage end? According to the scheduled timings issued by the organisers, the stage will conclude at around 3.30pm, depending on the speed of the race. And when does the race finish? The second grand tour of the season concludes on Sunday October 25 with the 15.7km individual time trial from Cernusco sul Naviglio to Milan. What TV channel can I watch the race on? Eurosport and S4C will be broadcasting every stage live each day — click here for full stage-by-stage details of broadcast times — while Telegraph Sport will provide live blogs to keep you up to speed with the latest news. Bookmark this page for all of Wednesday's action. And what time is the live coverage? Stage 17: Bassano del Grappa to Madonna di Campiglio, 202km Telegraph Sport liveblog: From 12.30pm Live TV details: Eurosport2 11.25am-3.45pm, S4C 1pm-end of stage What does the stage profile look like?

Primoz Roglic won the opening stage at the Vuelta a España, the 173-kilometre run from Irún to Arrate, to take the first leader's jersey in the third and final grand tour of the season. Defending champion Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) attacked in the final kilometre of the Alto de Arrate climb after Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) had been the first to show his hand. Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) won a three-up sprint to take second ahead of Dan Martin (Israel Start-up Nation), while Esteban Chaves (Mitchelton-Scott) was fourth. The Vuelta continues on Wednesday with the 151km run from Pamplona to Lekunberri and concludes on November 8 in Madrid.

Full results as Jan Tratnik escapes to maiden victory at Giro Primoz Roglic wins stage one to take lead at Vuelta a España How to watch on TV and follow online with Telegraph Sport Full details of teams and remaining riders at the Giro d'Italia Jan Tratnik won stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia from a breakaway as Joao Almeida used a late attack to add a couple of seconds to his lead in the pink jersey. With gradients of 20 per cent inside the final two kilometres, Deceuninck-Quick Step's Almeida rode away from Wilco Kelderman of Sunweb to take his overall lead to 17 seconds, two days after Kelderman took 41 seconds out of him on the road to Piancavallo. That all happened almost 13 minutes after Bahrain-McLaren's Tratnik beat Ben O'Connor of NTT up the final climb to secure his first grand tour stage win. The rolling 229km stage from Udine to San Daniele del Friuli was custom-designed for a breakaway and duly attracted a 28-strong group which went up the road and was handed a 15-minute advantage by a disinterested peloton. The group began to splinter with more than 60km to go, first as EF Pro Cycling's Ruben Guerreiro went clear and then as Tratnik and Astana's Manuele Boaro overhauled him. Tratnik went solo on the second of three ascents of the Monte di Ragogna, building a lead of 45 seconds before O'Connor set off after him, making the catch as they reached the summit for the final time with 13km left. But that effort told in the legs as Tratnik accelerated away inside the final 600 metres for a comfortable win not far from the border with his Slovenian homeland. "Today was special because it was really close (to home)," he said. "In the finish my brother and my girlfriend were there. "The last three kilometres I was already on the limit but when I saw 500 metres from the finish I saw my girlfriend and got some extra energy and I flew to the finish line."

Colombian sprinter Fernando Gaviria became the latest cyclist to test positive for the coronavirus and be withdrawn from the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday as the race heads toward an uncertain conclusion this weekend. A staff member for Team AG2R La Mondiale was the only other positive out of 492 tests carried out Sunday and Monday to coincide with the race’s second rest day, organizers RCS Sport said. The race is scheduled to end Sunday in Milan, the capital of the Lombardy region which is putting in place a nightly curfew beginning Thursday because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in an area already hard hit during the first wave of infections earlier this year.

Race organisers had said earlier that a Team Emirates rider and a Team AG2R La Mondiale staff member had returned positive results from the latest round of testing. Team Emirates said there were no other positive results from its riders or staff. The Colombian had previously tested positive following the cancellation of the ill-fated UAE Tour in February.

Stuart Blunt remembers the exact moment he knew he had something special on his hands. The British Cycling youth coach was holding a training camp in the summer of 2011 but one of his young riders, Tao Geoghegan Hart, had got stuck in the London riots. “He was trying to get to the train station while all hell was breaking loose outside his front door,� Blunt recalls. “Kids he was going to school with and so on. It must have been a huge distraction. Bless him, he was just focused on his training and his racing. Tao’s got a really good perspective on things.� Fast forward nine years and Geoghegan Hart, 25, is riding high at the Giro d'Italia. His brilliant stage victory into the ski station of Piancavallo in the Italian Dolomites on Sunday lifted him from 11th overall to fourth, just one second off the podium and 2min57sec off the overall lead. Those who declared British interest in the maglia rosa over when first Geraint Thomas crashed and broke his pelvis on stage three, and then Simon Yates contracted Covid-19, are having to revise that opinion because this race looks wide open and Geoghegan Hart has as much chance of grabbing the initiative as anyone. Blunt would not be at all surprised if he does. Geoghegan Hart (‘Tao’ pronounced ‘Tayo’, and ‘Geoghegan’ pronounced ‘Gaygan’ are Irish, Tao meaning Tom, which is his father’s name, in Irish Gaelic) always stood out. “I’ve been lucky enough to work on the talent pathway at British Cycling for 18 years now, and I’ve worked with some very talented riders, and Tao is right up there,� he says of the Holloway-born rider who grew up near London Fields in the heart of Hackney. “You could go through any of them, [Tom] Pidcock, anyone. Not only his physical ability but his attitude and his application. He’s very level headed.� Sir Bradley Wiggins, a fellow Londoner, called Geoghegan Hart a “geezer� following his stage win on Sunday, particularly enjoying the way the Ineos Grenadiers rider sized up his two breakaway companions at the finish, and then out-sprinted them both, even finding the time to adjust his sunglasses before crossing the line.

Primoz Roglic will be looking for more redemption after his Tour de France heartbreak as he prepares for a COVID-19-threatened Vuelta a Espana as Chris Froome bids farewell to Ineos-Grenadiers after 11 years with the British outfit. Slovenian Roglic, who lost the Tour on the last competitive stage to his compatriot Tadej Pogacar, won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege 'Monument' classic and is in prime position to retain his title in Spain when the race begins on Tuesday. Backed by a strong Jumbo-Visma team featuring top climbers Sepp Kuss and George Bennett, Roglic is well armed for one of the toughest first weeks in a grand tour, featuring three mountain-top finishes after the planned Grand Depart from the Netherlands was scrapped amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Chris Froome has played down expectations ahead of the start of the Vuelta a Espana on Tuesday, his final race for Ineos Grenadiers. The seven-time grand tour winner says the team will look to support Ecuadorean Richard Carapaz while he takes it “one day at a time� as he tries to work out where his form is. Froome, 35, will join Israel Start-Up Nation in 2021 as part of a three-year deal that ends his decade-long association with Team Ineos (formerly Team Sky). He had hoped to finish his time at Ineos with a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title. However, after returning from a career-threatening crash at last year’s Criterium du Dauphine, he was some way off his best when racing resumed in August post-lockdown. It was felt that Froome and Ineos would be better served if he had a further two months to prepare for a tilt at the Vuelta. The selection of 2019 Giro d’Italia winner Carapaz alongside him gives the team a second leader in case Froome is unable to reach his previous levels. “It’s quite hard to say where I am at the moment, I haven’t done many stage races recently,� Froome, a two-time Vuelta winner, said in a press call. “The signs in training have been better and better and I’m feeling more like my old self again which is fantastic, but it’s hard to quantify that. “I haven’t been able to race and see where I’m at against my rivals. I’m going take the first few days to see exactly where I’m at from that point and I’ll be able to have a clear plan for the rest of the race and know exactly what job I can fulfil at that point.�

Jumbo-Visma, one of the leading men's outfits, is starting a women's team for the 2021 season with Dutch great Marianne Vos in the squad, they said in a statement https://www.teamjumbovisma.com/news/news/team-jumbo-visma-starts-womens-team-in-2021 on Monday. The Dutch team will be spearheaded by 33-year-old Vos, a 12-time world champion across three disciplines -- road, cyclocross and track -- and an Olympic champion on the road and track.

In this episode we join Richard Moore and a good friend of the podcast in Belgium to review the Tour of Flanders, which featured a showdown between two riders whose rivalry began in cyclo-cross and are now destined to clash in the cobbled classics for years to come.

British rider Tao Geoghegan Hart has surged into pink jersey contention at the Giro d’Italia after taking by far the biggest win of his career on stage 15 to Piancavallo in the Italian Dolomites. The Londoner shot from 11th overall to fourth, fewer than three minutes off the lead, after winning a three-up sprint on the toughest climbing stage of the race so far. Geoghegan Hart, 25, is now just one second off the podium and just 2min57sec behind long-time leader Joao Almeida [Deceuninck-QuickStep], who showed the first cracks in his armour after being distanced on the final climb of the day. Geoghegan Hart did his best to play down expectations in the aftermath of his victory, which he dedicated to Ineos Grenadiers’ sporting director Nicolas Portal, who died suddenly in the spring. But it is difficult not to wonder how much further the 25 year-old, who replaced Geraint Thomas as Ineos leader after the Welshman’s crash on stage three, could rise. Almeida looks suddenly very vulnerable. The 22 year-old, who is racing in his first grand tour, has been in pink for 12 days already, far longer than anyone anticipated. But the Portuguese was unable to stay with Wilco Kelderman and Jai Hindley when the Sunweb duo attacked on the final climb to Piancavallo. And with the biggest climbs of the race still to come - including the Stelvio Pass and the Colle dell'Agnello and Col d’Izoard, all well over 2000m - any weakness going forward is likely to be ruthlessly exposed. Kelderman looks the most likely to profit should Almeida falter. The Dutchman, 29, is only 15 seconds off the lead and has the most grand tour experience of the leading contenders with three top-10 finishes at the Vuelta a Espana and one previous top-10 at the Giro. But Geoghegan Hart has long been tipped as a future GC star and the fact he was handed team leadership at both the Giro and the Vuelta last year shows in what esteem Sir Dave Brailsford holds him.

Full results after Tao Geoghegan Hart wins Giro d'Italia stage How to watch on TV and follow online with Telegraph Sport Full details of teams and remaining riders at the Giro d'Italia Mathieu van der Poel, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak all landed huge wins on breathless day of racing. Having arrived at the Tour of Flanders, the fourth and final monument of the rescheduled season, it surprised few to see Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) take the honours, emulating his father Adri who won the one-day race in 1986. Few, however, will have foreseen the nature in which world champion Julian Alaphilippe's (Elegant-Quick Step) race and season came to a juddering halt. Despite Alaphilippe's slight frame, the lightweight puncheur had coped admirably on the cobbled roads and climbs that peppered the 243.3-kilometre route from Antwerp to Oudenaarde. Indeed, the Frenchman at times appeared a natural on the surface that is ordinarily favoured by those with a heavier set than Alaphilippe, a former winner of the mountains classification at the Tour de France. After making his move on the steepest climb of the day, the Koppenberg that pitches up to gradients of 22 per cent, Alaphilippe caused a split in the leading group, only Van der Poel and the Dutchman's great rival Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) were able to respond. Having caught Alaphilippe who had teamed up with compatriot Anthony Turgis, the lead group was whittled down to just three as the Total Direct Énergie rider was unable to hold the pace set by three of the strongest one-day racers in the world. Disaster, however, struck for Alaphilippe when the Tour of Flanders debutant collided with a motorbike moments after after Van der Poel and Van Aert had swept past it.

Surprise leader Joao Almeida extended his overall lead at the Giro d’Italia as Flippo Ganna romped to another time-trial victory. Almeida [Deceuninck-QuickStep], 22, has been the big find of this year’s race. Riding in the first grand tour of his career, the Portuguese has held the lead since a strong effort up Mount Etna on stage three. Only one more week now remains before the race ends in Milan next weekend, although Almeida himself has admitted he has no idea how his body will react to a third consecutive week of racing, especially with some huge climbs, including the infamous Stelvio Pass and the Colle dell'Agnello and Col d’Izoard, all well over 2000m, to come. Almeida still looks very strong, however. And with pre-race favourites Geraint Thomas and Simon Yates having abandoned due to injury and Covid-19 respectively, it feels like a wide-open race. There is also the possibility the race could be called off before we reach Milan due to rising Covid rates across Europe. Two teams have already pulled out and a number of riders and teams have expressed concerns. Almeida finished sixth in Saturday's 34.1km effort against the clock through Prosecco vineyards from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene, taking 16 seconds out of the man behind him in the overall classification, Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb), who came ninth on the day. Almeida’s lead over Kelderman now stands at 56 seconds, with Pello Bilbao [Bahrain-McLaren] third, 2min 11sec back. British rider Tao Geoghegan Hart [Ineos Grenadiers] moved up to 11th overall ahead of the return to the mountains on Sunday. No one could touch Ganna on Saturday, however. The recently-crowned world time trial champion has been in sensational form in this race. The 24 year-old won the prologue time trial in Sicily a fortnight ago before winning solo on stage five. And he was too good for everyone once again, his Ineos Grenadiers teammate Rohan Dennis the only man to finish within a minute of him, at 26 seconds. "Every victory is important for me and in this Giro we have a really strong team, we are winning from everywhere and we are really happy,� Ganna said. "In the start I felt OK, we had a one kilometre climb, but it was five minutes of climbing and it was not easy, but once I got past the climb the legs felt good and as I got closer to the end they felt better and better. "In the final week I hope the climbs will be sunny and not too cold - but the aim will be to save energy and recover well as there is still one more time trial remaining in Milan."

Italian Filippo Ganna claimed his third victory in this year's Giro d'Italia when he won the 14th stage on Saturday, a 34.1km individual time trial from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene, as Joao Almeida extended his overall lead. The time trial world champion powered through the undulating course in 42 minutes 40 seconds to beat his Ineos-Grenadiers team mate Rohan Dennis by 26 seconds and American Brandon McNulty of UAE Team Emirates by 1:09. Ganna won the opening time trial in Palermo and the fifth stage in Camigliatello Silano.

Italian Diego Ulissi claimed a career eighth Giro d'Italia stage when he won Friday's 13th stage, a 192-km ride between Cervia and Monselice. The Team UAE Emirates rider outsprinted Joao Almeida, who consolidated his overall lead as second place earned the Portuguese a six-second time bonus. Austrian Patrick Konrad took third place.

Full results and details after Diego Ulissi sprints to stage win How to watch on TV and follow online with Telegraph Sport Full details of teams and remaining riders at the Giro d'Italia Diego Ulissi edged a thrilling climax to claim victory in stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia, with Joao Almeida close behind as he increased his overall lead. Ulissi, representing UAE Team Emirates, powered for the line at the end of a 192 kilometre ride between Cervia and Monselice to get the better of Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe). It was the 31-year-old's second stage win on this year's race and the eighth Giro success of his career. It was an equally profitable outing for Almeida in the maglia rosa, who picked up six bonus seconds for his finishing spot and now boasts a 40s lead over Wilco Kelderman and 49s over Pello Bilbao. He was holding himself to a high standard, though, saying afterwards: "I am a bit disappointed with my second place, I wanted a stage win. I was really close but not close enough. "The goal was the stage win, the seconds is just a bonus. After the descent, the group was quite small. I saw three guys with me and I know I can be fast in small groups, so we tried. The team really deserve to have won but Ulissi was fastest." Reflecting on his win, Ulissi added: "We did a great job on the final climb to break away from the sprinters and arrive in a small group. "We knew that if we could keep them away we would have a chance to fight for the sprint. I have to thank the whole team who set this up perfectly." Earlier, race director Mauro Vegni had responded to Thursday's controversial suggestion from the EF Pro Cycling team that the race be brought to an early conclusion on Sunday due to the growing threat of coronavirus. "The situation is under control completely. I've always said that I want to go to Milan," he said. "With this point of view, nobody has told me this won't be possible. There's no evidence we shouldn't go to Milan." The Giro continues on Saturday with the 34km individual time trial from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene and concludes on October 25 in Milan. PA

In our latest episode, discussing stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia, Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie are joined by guest presenter Ian Boswell, the former professional rider with Team Sky and Katusha-Alpecin.

Riders at the Giro d’Italia are considering a walkout after 17 further positive Covid-19 tests on Thursday, all of them involving police motorcycle escort officers at the E-bike event which accompanies the men’s race. Earlier this week, two teams, Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma, withdrew from the race after positive tests, while pre-race favourite Simon Yates abandoned last weekend after developing positive symptoms. The police escort riders who tested positive were not part of the main race bubble, but Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) said he and his team-mates were nevertheless “starting to feel unsafe� and were considering a mass walkout. “I have to be honest, my head is not really in the race after the news of the 17 infected police officers,� De Gendt said ahead of the start of Stage 12 in Cesenatico, which was eventually won by Ineos Grenadiers’ Jhonatan Narvaez from the break. “Things are going badly in this Giro. We have been discussing with the riders in the team for 20 minutes about whether or not to start, because we are starting to feel unsafe. There have been more than 10 cases and yesterday I heard several riders coughing. It’s the cold season, but in the long run you can’t concentrate anymore.� Some riders have claimed the Tour de France was safer. “I thought it was much safer in the Tour. I never felt unsafe there at any point,� De Gendt said. Race director Mauro Vegni told RAI that everything possible was being done to bring the race to its conclusion in Milan on Oct 25. “We absolutely want the Giro d’Italia to make it to Milan,� Vegni said. “I’d say at any price, excluding any major or medical problems. We knew holding the Giro in October was problematic; we’re doing all we can to make it to Milan with all the doubts and challenges.� Meanwhile, it appears increasingly likely that the medical tribunal of former Team Sky and British Cycling doctor, Richard Freeman, will run into 2021. Freeman, who is accused by the General Medical Council of ordering testosterone to the national velodrome in May 2011 “knowing or believing� it was intended for a rider, was originally meant to have his fitness-to-practise tribunal heard last spring. However, it now looks as if the hearing could run into a third year after yet more delays. The tribunal was held in private on Thursday after Team Sky and British Cycling complained about confidential medical data relating to riders’ blood tests being potentially leaked into the public domain. The hearing was adjourned until next Thursday, when Freeman’s cross-examination can continue. If the hearing is not finished by Nov 26 there is a chance it might not start up again until next spring. Mary O’Rourke QC, the barrister defending Freeman – who also represented former Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro in her claim for constructive dismissal against the club – has another case starting just days after this one is due to end. There is a slight possibility the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, which decides cases for the GMC, could postpone that hearing in order to allow this one to finish.

The Vuelta a Espana looks set to turn into a Jumbo-Visma v Ineos-Grenadiers battle as Chris Froome was confirmed in the squad for his last race with the British outfit on Thursday. The four-time Tour de France champion, who has been struggling to hit top form since returning from a career-threatening crash last year, will lead Ineos-Grenadiers alongside 2019 Giro d'Italia winner Richard Carapaz. Jumbo-Visma will go with former Giro champion Tom Dumoulin and this year's Tour de France runner-up Primoz Roglic after the Slovenian lost the overall lead in the world's greatest race on the last competitive day.

Full results and details after Narváez breaks grand tour duck Comment: Winning from breakaways and riding with panache — Ineos Grenadiers learn to reinvent themselves in 2020 How to watch on TV and follow online with Telegraph Sport Full details of teams and remaining riders at the Giro d'Italia Jhonatan Narváez soloed his way to victory on a rain-drenched 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Thursday to give Ineos Grenadiers their third win in this year's race. On a day in which the weather conditions dampened the hoped-for fireworks in the general classification battle over five categorised climbs, Narváez and Mark Padun (Bahrain McLaren) battled it out after escaping from a 14-man lead group. But Padun suffered a mechanical issue with little more than 20km of the 204km stage from Cesenatico to Cesenatico remaining and despite valiantly chasing down Narváez he ran out of legs. Narváez, 23, kept the power down to extend his advantage in the closing kilometres, winning by almost a minute. It was a day of consolidation for Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step) who retained the leader's pink jersey, preserving his 34-second lead over Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb).

The 35-year-old Bahrain-Mclaren sprinter had told Sporza in a post-race interview on Sunday: "That's perhaps the last race of my career now". Cavendish, who won the Scheldeprijs on debut in 2007 and followed up with victories in 2008 and 2011, finished 143rd in Wednesday's race.

Mark Cavendish says he does not want to retire at the end of this season, insisting he still loves cycling and was merely thrown by peloton gossip last weekend when he gave a tearful interview suggesting he might have raced for the final time. The 35 year-old conceded, however, that his future was still up in the air with no contract for next year as of yet. “I don’t have a desire to stop,� Cavendish told reporters before the start of Scheldeprijs, the latest of the rearranged Flanders classics, on Wednesday. “There were rumours at the start of [Gent-Wevelgem last Sunday] that the rest of the [classics] would be cancelled. I don’t have next year sorted yet and it dawned on me that it could be the last race of the season and potentially my career.� Cavendish has suffered with injury and illness in recent years and has not won a World Tour race since 2018. But the 30-time Tour de France stage winner is still in talks with his team Bahrain-McLaren about continuing into 2021. “I don’t want to stop,� he said. “I love this sport. I give my life to this sport and I’d like to continue riding my bike.� For the second time in four days, Cavendish infiltrated the day’s breakaway but dropped back into the main bunch in the last 50km. Caleb Ewan [Lotto-Soudal] eventually won a bunch sprint. In Italy, Arnaud Demare [Groupama-FDJ] won his fourth stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia and his 14th victory of this season as Joao Almeida [Deceuninck-QuickStep] retained the pink leader’s jersey. And on the latest day of evidence at the medical tribunal of Richard Freeman, the ex-Team Sky and British Cycling doctor was probed about the ‘loss’ of a third laptop. The hearing has already heard about one of his laptops which was stolen in Greece in 2014 and which was later wanted by UK Anti-Doping, and another which Freeman admits he destroyed prior to the GMC opening its investigation into possible doping. “This seems to be an unfortunate third occasion when you’ve either lost or broken a hard drive,� said Simon Jackson QC of an email dated August 2011 in which Freeman admits to having “lost my hard drive and much data with regards to monitoring of bloods of riders at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France�. “What were the circumstances in which you lost your hard drive on this occasion?� Jackson asked. Freeman said as far as he could remember it was an issue of “loss of access� rather than the loss of a hard drive. Jackson also asked Freeman about a lecture he attended in 2011 regarding ‘microdosing’ and about doctors potentially becoming “gamekeepers turned poachers� if they were so minded. “I'd like to think I was more the gamekeeper of Team Sky,� he replied. The hearing continues.

Just minutes after Arnaud Démare had all but secured his status as the world's No 1 sprinter of 2020, it was the turn of another fastman — Caleb Ewan — to toss his wet and slightly muddy casquette into the ring. Having won 12 races, including a fourth Giro d'Italia stages at the latest edition in Rimini on Wednesday and the general classification at two lower level races, since the return of racing on August 1, Démare is the best sprinter in the world right now. As Ewan crossed the line celebrating at Scheldeprijs, the one-day race that is often referred to as a sprinters' classic, however, the pendulum changed direction, swinging in the favour of the Lotto-Soudal rider. Along with final stage at the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées, winning Scheldeprijs elevates sprinters to another level. Ewan now has both etched onto his palmarès, though unfortunately for the Australian these wins were not in the same season. Had they been, then Ewan could stake a claim as being the world's best sprinter. Such are the margins. One rider that knows more than most about sprinting, and understands the difference between success and failure, is a certain Mark Cavendish. Just days after hinting that he may have competed in the final race of his career, Cavendish was back in the breakaway at Scheldeprijs, a race he has won three times. Indeed, it was at Scheldeprijs where in 2007 while at T-Mobile that a youthful looking Cavendish took his first senior victory. Speaking on Wednesday, Cavendish explained to reporters why he had said Ghent-Wevelgem may have been the final race of his career. "There were rumours that the rest of the races would be cancelled," Cavendish said. "I don't have next year sorted yet and it dawned on me that it could be the last race of the season and potentially my career. "Obviously, I wear my heart on my sleeve and especially with racing here in Belgium — here in Scheldeprijs was my first win as a professional. I was looking forward to this race and I was enjoying racing in Belgium. It's pure racing like when I was a kid again. "I don't have a desire to stop," he added. "I don't want to stop. I love this sport. I give my life to this sport and I'd like to continue riding my bike." There was a time, of course, that Cavendish was the world No 1 sprinter. For now, and in all likelihood until he hangs up his wheels, Cavendish will continue to do what he does best: riding and racing his bike. Helping team-mates and, hopefully, speaking as frankly as he did on Wednesday and has done — sometimes controversially — throughout his career. If not the greatest sprinter, then Cavendish can certainly stake a very decent claim as being one of the best there has ever been. Démare may be the man to beat right now, but so precarious is the sport that within the blink of an eye or the flick of an elbow a rider can go from being unbeatable to fighting for the right to make team selection. Fortunately for Démare, he appears to be a rider that, like Cavendish, loves racing and is enjoying each and every moment being the man to beat. Which is just as well, as it will not last forever. Just ask Cavendish.

When is stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia? Stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia is on Friday October 16, 2020. What time does the stage start? Racing at stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia, the 190km run from Cervia to Monselice, gets under way at 10.50am (BST). What time will Friday's stage end? According to the scheduled timings issued by the organisers, the stage will conclude at around 3.30pm, depending on the speed of the race. And when does the race finish? The second grand tour of the season concludes on Sunday October 25 with the 15.7km individual time trial from Cernusco sul Naviglio to Milan. What TV channel can I watch the race on? Eurosport and S4C will be broadcasting every stage live each day — click here for full stage-by-stage details of broadcast times — while Telegraph Sport will provide live blogs to keep you up to speed with the latest news. Bookmark this page for all of Friday's action. And what time is the live coverage? Stage 13: Cervia to Monselice, 190km Telegraph Sport liveblog: From 12.30pm Live TV details: Eurosport2 11.25am-3.45pm, S4C 1pm-end of stage What does the stage profile look like?

When is stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia? Stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia is on Thursday October 15, 2020. What time does the stage start? Racing at stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia, the 204km run from Cesenatico to Cesenatico, gets under way at 10.15am (BST). What time will Thursday's stage end? According to the scheduled timings issued by the organisers, the stage will conclude at around 3.30pm, depending on the speed of the race. And when does the race finish? The second grand tour of the season concludes on Sunday October 25 with the 15.7km individual time trial from Cernusco sul Naviglio to Milan. What TV channel can I watch the race on? Eurosport and S4C will be broadcasting every stage live each day — click here for full stage-by-stage details of broadcast times — while Telegraph Sport will provide live blogs to keep you up to speed with the latest news. Bookmark this page for all of Thursday's action. And what time is the live coverage? Stage 12: Cesenatico to Cesenatico, 204km Telegraph Sport liveblog: From 12.30pm Live TV details: Eurosport2 11.25am-3.45pm, S4C 1pm-end of stage What does the stage profile look like?

Comment: Arnaud Démare is the world's best sprinter right now — he should never have missed the Tour de France Full results and details after Arnaud Démare wins again How to watch on TV and follow online with Telegraph Sport Full details of teams and remaining riders at the Giro d'Italia Arnaud Démare claimed his fourth win of the Giro d'Italia with yet another dominant sprint display at the end of stage 11. The French national champion held off Peter Sagan and Alvaro Hodeg in the finale to extend his lead in the points leader's ciclamino jersey, though Sagan's fourth second place of his debut Giro will surely have felt less frustrating than those last week given his superb solo win 24 hours earlier. The sprint finish saw no change in the general classification, in which Portuguese rider Joao Almeida continues to lead by 30 seconds from Wilco Kelderman with Pello Bilbao, Domenico Pozzovivo and Vincenzo Nibali bunched up close behind. The largely flat 182km stage from Porto Sant'Elpidio to Rimini meant it was essentially nailed on for a sprint, a day after the more rolling road to Tortoreto gave Sagan the canvas for one of his greatest victories out of the breakaway. Démare's Groupama-FDJ team let others do the work on the road in to Rimini but moved up in the final kilometre to lead their man down the final approach to the line. Fernando Gaviria was the first to light it up but Démare responded and none could get past him, Sagan glued to his wheel but lacking the acceleration to get alongside. "My three lead-out men delivered me in a perfect position and I felt a lot of strength in my legs to launch my sprint," Demare said. "Coming to the Giro I didn't think I'd get four stage wins. Hats off to my team-mates!" The rolling profile of Thursday's stage 12, starting and finishing in Marco Pantani's hometown of Cesenatico, should lead to a more intriguing day in the battle for pink. However, a relatively flat run to the line will make it difficult to make any moves stick. "Tomorrow is a very undulating stage," Almeida said. "There will be some attacks but we will be prepared." Wednesday's stage took place with much of the peloton still processing the events of the previous morning, when both the Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma teams withdrew from the race following positive tests for coronavirus on the rest day. Sunweb had continued without Michael Matthews after he too returned a positive test. The team said on Wednesday the Australian had returned a negative result on a follow-up "rapid test", raising the possibility of a 'false positive'. However, the PCR test used on the rest day is generally more reliable than a rapid test so that result is leading. PA

When is stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia? Stage nine of the Giro d'Italia is on Wednesday October 14, 2020. What time does the stage start? Racing at stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia, the 182km run from Porto Sant'Elpidio to Rimini, gets under way at 11.15am (BST). What time will Wednesday's stage end? According to the scheduled timings issued by the organisers, the stage will conclude at around 3.30pm, depending on the speed of the race. And when does the race finish? The second grand tour of the season concludes on Sunday October 25 with the 15.7km individual time trial from Cernusco sul Naviglio to Milan. What TV channel can I watch the race on? Eurosport and S4C will be broadcasting every stage live each day — click here for full stage-by-stage details of broadcast times — while Telegraph Sport will provide live blogs to keep you up to speed with the latest news. Bookmark this page for all of Wednesday's action. And what time is the live coverage? Stage 11: Porto Sant'Elpidio to Rimini, 182km Telegraph Sport liveblog: From 12.30pm Live TV details: Eurosport2 11.25am-3.30pm, S4C 1pm-end of stage What does the stage profile look like?

The Giro d’Italia resumed after its rest day with the news that two high profile riders, Steven Kruijswijk and Michael Matthews, had tested positive for Covid and were out of the race.

Dr Richard Freeman was gifted a free bike worth several thousands of pounds by British Cycling’s former head coach Shane Sutton in 2010, a medical tribunal has heard. Freeman, the former Team Sky and British Cycling doctor, faces allegations that he ordered testosterone to be delivered to the national velodrome in May 2011 “knowing or believing� it was intended for an athlete. Freeman insists he was bullied into ordering the Testogel for Sutton to treat the Australian’s erectile dysfunction, a claim Sutton strongly denies. On the latest day of his cross-examination, Freeman was asked about an email he sent to Sutton in September 2010 which ended with Freeman asking how much he “owed for the bike�. “I got this bike brand new and thought I’d have to pay for it,� Freeman said. “Shane said, ‘You don’t have to’. I took my cheque book to the financial controller at British Cycling who told me Shane had cleared it off the budget. “I went to Shane and told him and he said he’d given it to me. Then later he told me, ‘don’t forget to pay’. So it was complicated.� “But you kept it, didn’t you?� Freeman was asked by Simon Jackson QC, for the GMC, which has brought the case against Freeman. “Regrettably yes. I gave it as a gift to my wife,� Freeman replied. Freeman was also asked about a change in medical culture at Team Sky at the end of the 2010 season, which led to the arrival of, among others, Geert Leinders, a Belgian doctor who has since received a lifetime ban for multiple doping violations carried out when he worked for the Rabobank team between 1996 and 2009. Brailsford later admitted it was a mistake to hire Leinders as a consultant. "It wasn’t a very happy camp at the end of that [2010] season,� Freeman said. “The riders were used to cycling doctors - experienced doctors. I was a fish out of water. They wanted more experienced doctors who knew cycling. “That’s why we recruited. Instead of two doctors we had eight the next season with two experts in cycling, intravenous, recovery and a GP who had experience in chronic fatigue and over-training.� Freeman was also asked about the injectable recovery protocols he introduced at Team Sky before the introduction of the UCI’s no-needles ban in May 2011. Freeman denied ever injecting riders with iron.

Peter Sagan soloed to victory in the Giro d'Italia's 10th stage on Tuesday after two teams, Mitchelton and Jumbo-Visma, were forced to pull out before the stage because of positive Covid-19 tests.

The Giro d'Italia had two full teams withdraw due to the coronavirus, including Jumbo-Visma, led by Steven Kruijswijk

Mark Cavendish will line up at Scheldeprijs on Wednesday despite saying at the weekend that he may have raced for the final time. The Daily Telegraph understands the plan is still for the British rider to start in all the forthcoming classics, assuming they run. That is by no means certain with Covid-19 infection rates rising across Europe. A spate of positive tests threw the entire Giro d’Italia into doubt. A superb solo victory by Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) in Tortoreto – the Slovakian’s first win of any description since last year’s Tour de France – eventually provided a thrilling finish to the day in Italy. But the race could well be on the brink of cancellation. Two teams withdrew on Wednesday amid questions over the organisers’ Covid-19 protocols. Mitchelton-Scott, who lost their British leader Simon Yates, one of the pre-race favourites, to Covid-19 last weekend, had four more staff members test positive in the latest round of testing. The Australian team took the decision to withdraw their team en masse, citing their “social responsibility�. As did Jumbo-Visma after Steven Kruijswijk, another of the race’s big general classification contenders, returned a positive test. Jumbo-Visma took their decision very late, their team bus the only one not to leave the paddock ahead of the start of stage 10 from Lanciano to Tortoreto. With Michael Matthews (Sunweb) also returning a positive test, as well as staff members at Ineos Grenadiers and AG2R-La Mondiale, there have been questions asked of the organisers’ protocols. Jos van Emden (Jumbo-Visma) told the Cycling Podcast on Monday that the organisation should carry some of the blame for the spate of positives.

The Giro d’Italia was thrown into chaos Tuesday when two full teams, another overall contender and one more elite rider withdrew from the cycling race following a series of positive tests for the coronavirus. The Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma teams left the race before Stage 10. Four Mitchelton-Scott staff members tested positive.

VIDEO SHOWS: FILE FOOTAGE OF 2020 GIRO D'ITALIA ROUTE PRESENTATION, STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF MITCHELTON-SCOTT CYCLISTS, STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF JUMBO-VISMA RIDER, STEVEN KRUIJSWIJK AND TEAM SUNWEB RIDER, MICHAEL MATTHEWS, STATEMENTS FROM MITCHELTON-SCOTT, JUMBO-VISMA AND TEAM SUNWEB POSTED ON THEIR TWITTER PAGES SHOWS: MILAN, ITALY (FILE - OCTOBER 24, 2019) (RCS - NO USE ITALY) 1. GIRO D'ITALIA TROPHY ON STAGE AT PRESENTATION CEREMONY 2. VARIOUS OF CEREMONY IN PROGRESS INTERNET (OCTOBER 13, 2020) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 3. STATEMENT WRITTEN ON MITCHELTON-SCOTT'S TWITTER PAGE, READING (ENGLISH): "#GIRO UPDATE: WITH THE HEALTH OF RIDERS & STAFF OUR PRIORITY, WE HAVE WITHDRAWN FROM THE @GIRODITALIA AFTER RESULTS OF THE REST DAY COVID-19 TESTING, OUR 3RD ROUND OF TESTING IN 3 DAYS, REVEALED POSITIVE RESULTS FOR SOME OF OUR STAFF." BAGNERES-DE-BIGORRE, FRANCE (FILE - JULY 18, 2019) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 4. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF SIMON YATES CELEBRATING AFTER WINNING A STAGE OF THE TOUR DE FRANCE LIMOUX TO FOIX PRAT D'ALBIS, FRANCE (FILE - JULY 21, 2019) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 5. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF YATES RACING 6. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF YATES ON PODIUM 7. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF YATES CYCLING IMOLA, ITALY (FILE - SEPTEMBER 25, 2019) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 8. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF MITCHELTON-SCOTT'S EDOARDO AFFINI (BLUE KIT) COMPETING FOR ITALY IN ACTION DURING THE UCI WORLD CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS' MEN'S ELITE INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL SANDEFJORD, NORWAY (FILE - MAY 31, 2019) (NTB SCANPIX - NO USE NORWAY) (MUTE) 9. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF AFFINI ON THE PODIUM AFTER WINNING STAGE FOUR OF THE 2019 TOUR OF NORWAY SAINT-PEE-SUR-NIVELLE TO ESPELETTE (FILE - JULY 28, 2018) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 10. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF MITCHELTON-SCOTT RIDER MICHAEL HEPBURN RIDING IN THE STAGE 20 OF THE 2018 TOUR DE FRANCE - A 31-KILOMETRE INDVIDUAL TIME TRIAL SAINT-GIRONS TO FOIX, FRANCE (FILE - JULY 14, 2017) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 11. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF AUSTRALIAN DAMIEN HOWSON AHEAD OF STAGE 13 OF THE 2017 TOUR DE FRANCE GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA (FILE - APRIL 10, 2018) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 12. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF AUSTRALIAN CAMERON MEYER WAVING ON THE PODIUM AFTER WINNING GOLD IN THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES MEN'S INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL 13. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF MEYER COMPETING IN THE TIME TRIAL INTERNET (OCTOBER 13, 2020) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 14. STATEMENT WRITTEN ON TEAM JUMBO-VISMA'S TWITTER PAGE, READING (ENGLISH): "#GIRO @S_KRUIJSWIJK WILL NOT APPEAR AT THE START OF THE TENTH STAGE OF THE GIRO D'ITALIA. KRUIJSWIJK TESTED POSITIVE ON COVID-19 ON THE REST DAY. AS A RESULT, HE HAS TO LEAVE THE RACE." BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (FILE - JULY 4, 2019) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 15. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF KRUIJSWIJK ON THE PODIUM DURING THE TOUR DE FRANCE TEAMS' PRESENTATION PAU, FRANCE (FILE - JULY 19, 2019) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 16. TWO STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF TEAM JUMBO-VISMA RIDER STEVEN KRUIJSWIJK COMPETING IN STAGE 13 OF THE 2019 TOUR DE FRANCE - A 27.5-KILOMETRE INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL INTERNET (OCTOBER 13, 2020) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 17. STATEMENT WRITTEN ON TEAM SUNWEB'S TWITTER PAGE, READING (ENGLISH): "TEAM SUNWEB'S @BLINGMATTHEWS WON'T START #GIROFLAG OF ITALY STAGE 10 TODAY AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID-19" BINCHE, FRANCE (FILE - JULY 8, 2019) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE) 18. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF TEAM SUNWEB RIDER MICHAEL MATTHEWS BEFORE THE START OF STAGE THREE OF THE 2019 TOUR DE FRANCE STORY: The Giro d'Italia was on the brink of cancellation on Tuesday (October 13) after five teams were hit by COVID-19 cases on the first rest day of the three-week grand tour with almost two weeks left until the finish in Milan. The Mitchelton-Scott team withdrew from the race after four staff members tested positive for the coronavirus following top rider Simon Yates pulling out last week. A rider from Jumbo-Visma, a Team Sunweb rider, one staff member from Ineos-Grenadiers and AG2R-La Mondiale also returned positive tests, organisers RCS said. RCS, in a joint statement with the International Cycling Union (UCI), said the teams' doctors had ordered "isolation measures". Sunweb said Australian Michael Matthews had tested positive and was asymptomatic, with Jumbo-Visma saying on Twitter their rider Steven Kruijswijk had returned a positive result and would leave the race. Mitchelton-Scott said the team were notified of the four positive results for staff members from tests done on Sunday. Yates, who like Kruijswijk had been among the pre-race favourites, withdrew on Saturday after testing positive for the virus. Kruijswijk was 11th overall, 1:24 behind race leader Joao Almeida of Portugal and 27 seconds behind double champion and fifth-placed Vincenzo Nibali of Italy. Riders in the Giro stay in a biosecure bubble when not on the road, just as they did for the Tour de France, which finished on Sept. 20. No riders tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 while on the French tour. On the Tour de France, two positive tests in a team within one week would have triggered the ejection of the outfit from the race but no such rule was put in place for the Italian grand tour, which started in Sicily on Oct. 3. Italy, which hosted the rescheduled world championships last month, has seen a recent rise in coronavirus cases, with a post-lockdown record 5,456 people infected registered last Saturday (October 10). Elite racing resumed in August after a four-and-a-half month hiatus, but the resurgence of COVID-19 in Europe has forced local authorities and organisers to cancel races, such as the Netherlands' Amstel Gold Race, which had been scheduled for Saturday (October 17), and Paris-Roubaix, the "Monument" classic that was due to be raced on Oct. 25. (Production: Tim Hart)

The Giro d’Italia appears to be on the brink of cancellation after two teams withdrew from the race on Tuesday amid questions over organisers’ Covid protocols. Mitchelton-Scott, who lost their British leader Simon Yates — one of the big pre-race favourites — to a Covid-19 positive last weekend, had four more staff members test positive in the latest round of testing and took the decision to withdraw their team en masse, citing their “social responsibility�. As did Jumbo-Visma after another of the race’s big general classification contenders, Steven Kruijswijk, returned a positive test. Jumbo-Visma took the decision very late, their team bus the only one not leave the paddock before the start of stage 10 on Tuesday. Addy Engels, the Jumbo-Visma DS, said it was “the responsible decision for our riders’ health but also for the race.� With Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) also testing positive, as well as staff members at Ineos Grenadiers and AG2R-La Mondiale, it appears to leave the entire race on the brink. Jos van Emden, of Team Jumbo-Visma, told The Cycling Podcast on Monday night that the organisation should carry some of the blame for the spate of positives. “It already went wrong in the first hotel,� he said. “There were four or five teams in there, police moto riders, Shimano Neutral Service and members of the general public. All eating from the same buffet.� Riders in the Giro stay in a biosecure bubble when not on the road, just as they did for the Tour de France, which finished on Sept. 20. No riders tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19 while on the French tour. On the Tour de France, two positive tests in a team within one week would have triggered the ejection of the outfit from the race but no such rule was put in place for the Italian grand tour, which started in Sicily on October 3. Italy, which hosted the rescheduled world championships last month, has seen a recent rise in coronavirus cases, with a post-lockdown record 5,456 people infected registered last Saturday. Elite racing resumed in August after a four-and-a-half month hiatus, but the resurgence of Covid-19 in Europe has forced local authorities and organisers to cancel races, such as the Netherlands’ Amstel Gold Race, which had been scheduled for Saturday, and Paris-Roubaix, the “Monument� classic that was due to be raced on October 25.

The Giro d'Italia was on the brink of cancellation on Tuesday after five teams were hit by COVID-19 cases on the first rest day, with two of them pulling out of the three-week grand tour 12 days before the finish in Milan. The Mitchelton-Scott team withdrew after four staff members tested positive for the coronavirus following top rider Simon Yates pulling out last week. Jumbo-Visma, whose leader Steven Kruisjwijk tested positive, said they would not start the 10th stage on Tuesday.

The medical tribunal of Richard Freeman, the ex-Team Sky and British Cycling doctor, has taken another twist after he was branded a liar by his former head of medicine, Steve Peters. The development came on another damaging day for the sport as Freeman faced accusations of “micro-dosing� a rider using testosterone. Freeman is accused by the General Medical Council of ordering a batch of banned testosterone to the national velodrome in May 2011 “knowing or believing� that it was intended for a rider. The ex-Team Sky doctor admits 18 of 22 charges against him in his fitness-to-practise tribunal in Manchester. But he denies that central charge, insisting he was bullied into ordering the Testogel for ex-technical director Shane Sutton to treat the Australian’s erectile dysfunction, a claim Sutton strongly denies. On the latest day of his cross-examination by Simon Jackson QC, for the GMC, Freeman was probed on his monitoring of riders’ key ‘markers’, in particular their testosterone and iron levels. He was asked whether he was looking for “marginal gains�. Jackson probed Freeman, in particular, about an interview he did with the BBC in 2018 to promote his book The Line: Where Medicine and Sport Collide. In the interview, Freeman claimed: “The ‘marginal gains’ comes from the aerodynamics, it comes from the mechanics. Medicine is very different. Medicine supports the athlete to be able to perform at their maximum. I don't think the medical department is really a marginal gain department." Asked by Jackson whether he stood by those words now, Freeman replied: “No.� He insisted, however, it was “offensive� to suggest that he would ever dope a rider. Freeman said that sports doctors were all searching for that “holy grail� in terms of sports performance, finding the right balance between “over-training and under-recovery�. "At Bolton Wanderers, we used a system developed by the Russians for their cosmonauts where we would use heart-rate variability to find a marker for under recovery,� said Freeman, who worked under former England manager Sam Allardyce at the club in the early 2000s. Jackson returned to the issue of doping. “Micro-dosing with testosterone which is what this GMC case is about,� he reminded Freeman. “I’d suggest you were very much involved in looking for marginal gains through blood testing and searching for, in your words, the holy grail.� Freeman, who says he had been made a “scapegoat�, claimed in witness statements released last weekend that he was regularly asked by Peters to “treat a host of senior management and staff, and give them medication from the organisations’ supplies, free of charge�. This drew a stinging response from Peters on Monday night. "This is simply untrue," his company Chimp Management said in a statement. “There is no evidence of such an instruction at all. Professor Peters has never been party to the supply nor distribution of unregulated medicines.� The statement added that there was nothing unusual about medical staff working with sports teams treating “both athletes and staff in emergencies and during any team-related travel and work�. Peters also took issue with Freeman’s claim that Peters asked him to treat him for an unspecified medical problem but specifically told him not to pass on the details to Peters’ own GP. “Professor Peters moved to a new address in 2005 and wasn’t registered with a GP until October 2016, as verified by the surgery,� the statement read. “Therefore, there would have been no GP for Dr Freeman to pass on details to. So this is a false claim.� Finally, Peters took issue with a claim Freeman made that British Cycling ran separate medical operations at both the London and Rio Olympics on Peters’ orders. “Prof Steve Peters left the employ of British Cycling in 2014 and was not involved in the planning for, nor running of, any of British Cycling involvement in Rio 2016. Dr Peters was in Rio for the 2016 Olympics, but this was to support GB Tae Kwon-Do. In 2012 he directly worked with the BOA medical team and organising committee.� In a personal statement, Peters added: “It is very sad and disappointing that someone whom I have supported through personal troubles for many years should now choose to cast allegations that attempt to undermine me in order, presumably, to make excuses for his actions. Despite this, I hope Richard can soon get through this troubling time." The hearing continues.

There were races in Belgium, France and Italy, with Ghent-Wevelgem, Paris-Tours and the Giro d'Italia, and we have reaction to each of them in our latest episode.

One of the most promising young riders on the British men's squad has come out as transgender after giving up on a dream to compete at the 2024 Olympics. Emily Bridges, formerly Zach, revealed her news on Coming Out Day barely a year after winning the men's individual pursuit at the national junior track championships. Bridges, who is now studying French and Politics at Nottingham University, said she went public in the hope of inspiring other young people suffering with gender dysmorphia. "Cycling still has a long way to go to represent all types of diversity," she said in a statement given to Sky Sports. "We need to encourage more people from BAME backgrounds, more women, disabled people and LGBTQ+ people into cycling. I hope that I can be a small part of changing the culture for the better and encourage people in the sporting world to fully be themselves." The 19-year-old, from the town of Cwmbran in Wales, joined the national junior academy after winning a silver medal at the junior nationals in 2017. A year later, Bridges became Britain's first junior cyclist to break the 48-minute barrier for a 25-mile time trial, setting a junior national record of 47 minutes and 27 seconds. Bridges then finished fourth in the individual pursuit in last year's world junior championships before suffering a slump in form and her emotional health.

As with all WorldTour race, each of the 19 teams that make up the top-flight of professional cycling receive an invite and in the case of the Tour of Flanders, all teams are contracted to race. UCI WorldTour 2020: Complete team-by-team guide to the season Additionally, six further teams from the Professional Continental division will also compete and so riders from Alpecin-Fenix, Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles, B&B; Hotels-Vital Concept p/b KTM, Circus-Wanty Gobert, Total Direct Énergie and Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise will also be on the starting line. Revised calendar: WorldTour — men's and women's races You can find below the provisional seven-man teams that will contest the final monument of the season following the cancellation of Paris-Roubaix. Until the starting peloton is confirmed, all riders that are expected to start or are named in longlists announced by squads will appear in bold below. Telegraph Sport will update accordingly until final line-ups can be confirmed. UCI WorldTour teams Ag2r-La Mondiale (Fra): Romain Bardet (Fra), Silvan Dillier (Swi), Julien Duval (Fra), Alexis Gougeard (Fra), Lawrence Naesen (Bel), Oliver Naesen (Bel), Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel). Astana (Kaz): Laurens De Vreese (Bel), Daniil Fominykh (Kaz), Yevgeniy Gidich (Kaz), Hugo Houle (Can), Davide Martinelli (Ita), Artyom Zakharov (Kaz). Bahrain-McLaren (Brn): Mark Cavendish (GB), Sonny Colbrelli (Ita), Feng Chun-kai (Twn), Marco Haller (Aut), Luka Pibernik (Slo), Dylan Teuns (Bel), Fred Wright (GB). Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger): Marcus Burghardt (Ger), Jempy Drucker (Lux), Oscar Gatto (Ita), Gregor Mühlberger (Aut), Daniel Oss (Ita), Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut), Maximilian Schachmann (Ger). CCC Team (Pol): Jonas Koch (Ger), Michael Schär (Swi), Matteo Trentin (Ita), Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel), Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel), Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel), Francisco Ventoso (Spa). Cofidis Solutions Crédits (Fra): Piet Allegaert (Bel), Dimitri Claeys (Bel), Christophe Laporte (Fra), Cyril Lemoine (Fra), Damien Touzé (Fra), Julien Vermote (Bel), Attilio Viviani (Ita). Elegant-Quick Step (Bel): Julian Alaphilippe (Fra), Kasper Asgreen (Den), Tim Declercq (Bel), Dries Devenyns (Bel), Yves Lampaert (Bel), Florian Sénéchal (Fra), Zdenek Stybar (Cze). EF Education First (US): Alberto Bettiol (Ita), Stefan Bissegger (Swi), Jens Keukeleire (Bel), Sebastian Langeveld (Hol), Jonas Rutsch (Ger), Tom Scully (NZ), Sep Vanmarcke (Bel). Groupama-FDJ (Fra): Mickaël Delage (Fra), Kevin Geniets (Hol), Stefan Küng (Swi), Fabian Lienhard (Swi), Valentin Madouas (Fra), Rudy Molard (Fra), Jake Stewart (GB). Ineos Grenadiers (GB): Leonardo Basso (Ita), Owain Doull (GB), Christian Knees (Ger), Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol), Chris Lawless (GB), Luke Rowe (GB), Dylan van Baarle (Hol). Israel Start-up Nation (Isr): Guillaume Boivin (Can), Itamar Einhorn (Isr), Hugo Hofstetter (Fra), Travis McCabe (US), Nils Politt (Ger), Norman Vahtra (Est), Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel). Jumbo-Visma (Hol): Pascal Eenkhoorn (Hol), Amund Grondahl Jansen (Nor), Timo Roosen (Hol), Mike Teunissen (Hol), Wout van Aert (Bel), Taco van der Hoorn (Hol), Maarten Wynants (Bel). Lotto-Soudal (Bel): Jasper De Buyst (Bel), John Degenkolb (Ger), Stan Dewulf (Bel), Frederik Frison (Bel), Roger Kluge (Ger), Florian Vermeersch (Bel), Tim Wellens (Bel). Mitchelton-Scott (Aus): Jack Bauer (NZ), Luke Durbridge (Aus), Alex Edmondson (Aus), Kaden Groves (Aus), Christopher Juul-Jensen (Den), Alexander Konychev (Ita), Luka Mezgec (Slo). Movistar (Spa): Juan Diego Alba (Col), Iñigo Elosegui (Spa), Johan Jacobs (Swi), Lluís Mas (Spa), Sebastián Mora (Spa), Eduard Prades (Spa). NTT Pro Cycling (SA): Samuele Battistella (Ita), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor), Michael Gogl (Aut), Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (SA), Rasmus Tiller (Nor), Michael Valgren (Den), Max Walscheid (Ger). Sunweb (Ger): Soren Kragh Andersen (Den), Nikias Arndt (Ger), Tiesj Benoot (Bel), Cees Bol (Hol), Alberto Dainese (Ita), Nils Eekhoff (Hol), Joris Nieuwenhuis (Hol). Trek-Segafredo (US): Alex Kirsch (Lux), Ryan Mullen (Irl), Mads Pedersen (Den), Kiel Reijnen (US), Toms Skujins (Lat), Jasper Stuyven (Bel), Edward Theuns (Bel). UAE Team Emirates (UAE): Tom Bohli (Swi), Sven Erik Bystrom (Nor), Alexander Kristoff (Nor), Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor), Ivo Oliveira (Por), Rui Oliveira (Por), Jasper Philipsen (Bel). UCI Professional Continental teams Alpecin-Fenix (Bel): Dries De Bondt (Bel), Alexander Krieger (Ger), Jonas Rickaert (Bel), Petr Vakoc (Cze), Mathieu van der Poel (Hol), Otto Vergaerde (Bel), Gianni Vermeersch (Bel). Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles (Bel): Arjen Livyns (Bel), Kenny Molly (Bel), Dimitri Peyskens (Bel), Joel Suter (Swi), Lionel Taminiaux (Bel), Luc Wirtgen (Lux), Tom Wirtgen (Lux). B&B; Hotels-Vital Concept p/b KTM (Fra): Frederik Backaert (Bel), Cyril Barthe (Fra), Bryan Coquard (Fra), Bert De Backer (Bel), Jens Debusschere (Bel), Jérémy Lecroq (Fra), Luca Mozzato (Fra). Circus-Wanty Gobert (Bel): Ludwig De Winter (Bel), Maurits Lammertink (Hol), Xandro Meurisse (Bel), Andrea Pasqualon (Ita), Boy van Poppel (Hol), Danny van Poppel (Hol), Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel). Total Direct Énergie (Fra): Romain Cardis (Fra), Florian Maitre (Fra), Adrien Petit (Fra), Geoffrey Soupe (Fra), Niki Terpstra (Hol), Anthony Turgis (Fra), Dries Van Gestel (Bel). Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise (Bel): Cédric Beullens (Bel), Amaury Capiot (Bel), Gilles De Wilde (Bel), Milan Menten (Bel), Thomas Sprengers (Bel), Fabio Van den Bossche (Bel), Aaron Van Poucke (Bel).

Shane Sutton, the former head coach and technical director of British Cycling, rang the team's former doctor Richard Freeman and told him his career, and those of Sir Dave Brailsford and Sir Bradley Wiggins, was "finished� after they fell out over a series of whistleblowing allegations, Freeman has claimed. Freeman says Sutton suspected him as the source of an anonymous email sent to UK Sport which included a number of allegations including that Sutton used a British Cycling account to pay for £6,000 worth of cosmetic dentistry and arranged for relatives and business associates to receive sponsors’ road bikes for personal use. The allegations are included in witness statements prepared by Freeman for his ongoing medical tribunal. The statements were released to members of the media over the weekend. Freeman faces being struck off for ordering banned testosterone to the national velodrome in 2011 “knowing or believing� it was intended for a rider. Freeman says he was bullied by Sutton into ordering the Testogel to treat the Australian’s erectile dysfunction. He told the tribunal last week that he initially prescribed Viagra and Cialis to the Australian before Sutton asked him to procure testosterone for him. Sutton strongly denies that he has ever suffered from erectile dysfunction. He stormed out of the hearing last year midway through his evidence. Freeman’s cross-examination is due to resume on Monday morning at 10.15am, after which he may be re-examined by his legal counsel Mary O’Rourke QC. She is likely to focus on the falling out between Freeman and Sutton, with Freeman claiming their relationship “deteriorated� badly in 2015 following a number of disagreements. In particular, Freeman alleges that Sutton asked for “a referral to the British Cycling official dentist, and when an invoice for £6,000 for cosmetic dentistry was later received I refused to sign this off and confronted him. He later told me he had paid it through another British Cycling account�.

A tearful Mark Cavendish hinted on Sunday that he might have raced for the final time. The 30-times Tour de France stage winner, one of the greatest sprinters the sport of cycling has ever seen, was speaking following the conclusion of Gent-Wevelgem in Belgium. Cavendish spent most of the 232km race in the breakaway before it was reeled in, and was clearly in an emotional state in the mixed zone afterwards. "That’s perhaps the last race of my career now,� he told local broadcaster Sporza, taking off his sunglasses and wiping his eyes. Asked whether he felt it really was the final race, he added "maybe, yes" before cycling away. Cavendish, 35, has had a difficult few years following an extraordinary season in 2016 which saw him pick up a world Madison title, four Tour de France stages, a silver medal in the omnium at the Olympics, and another silver at the world road race championships. The 2011 road world champion has not won a World Tour race for over two years after a terrible crash, missing the best part of two seasons with Epstein-Barr virus, and has admitted suffering with mental health issues. Cavendish signed a one-year contract with Bahrain-McLaren for this season. Team manager Rod Ellingworth, speaking at the Giro d’Italia earlier this weekend, suggested that negotiations between Cavendish and Bahrain McLaren for 2021 were still on-going. The British rider had been expected to line up at Schelderprijs, a race he has won three times, on Wednesday, but his latest comments make both his appearance at that race or any other future one uncertain.

Ruben Guerreiro became the first Portuguese rider to win on the Giro d'Italia in 31 years when he claimed the ninth stage, a 208-km mountain ride from San Salvo on Sunday. The EF-Education First rider beat fellow breakaway rider Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos-Grenadiers) of Spain by jumping away in the last 300 metres of the final climb. The previous Portuguese rider to win a stage on the Giro was Acacio Da Silva in 1989.