Cycling

Australia’s Tour Down Under has been cancelled for the second year in a row because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Restrictions in Australia made it difficult for teams to travel to the event, which was due to be part of the men’s UCI World Tour and women’s UCI Pro Tour. The Tour Down Under is traditionally

Heiko Salzwedel, who held coaching roles with British Cycling from 2002 to 2017 across three separate spells, has died at the age of 64. Salzwedel had most recently worked for OSP Brandenburg, in his native Germany’s Olympic training centre. With British Cycling, he was involved in three Olympics, including helping a men’s team pursuit squad

Paralympic cycling champion Jon-Allan Butterworth has joined GB’s Para-snowboarding team. The former RAF weapons technician, 35, from Sutton Coldfield, retired from professional cycling last year after winning gold at Rio 2016 and three silver medals at London 2012. Butterworth lost his left arm in a rocket attack in Iraq in 2007. After that, he started

Owain Doull has joined EF Education-NIPPO after leaving Ineos Grenadiers. The Welsh rider, 28, said earlier this month he would be exiting Ineos having joined the team – then known as Team Sky – in 2017. Doull’s Grand Tour chances have been limited to the 2019 Vuelta a Espana since moving from Team Wiggins. “I

Julian Alaphilippe has retained the men’s road race title at the Road World Championships in Belgium. The 29-year-old Frenchman finished the 268.3km race in five hours 56 minutes 34 seconds. There was a sprint finish for silver which was taken by Dutchman Dylan van Baarle, while Denmark’s Michael Valgren finished third. Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock

Italy’s Elisa Balsamo won gold in the elite women’s race at the Road Cycling World Championships in Belgium. The 23-year-old claimed the rainbow jersey, hitting the front with 1,000 metres to go and beating Marianne Vos of the Netherlands in a sprint finish. Three-time world champion Vos claimed her sixth silver while Katarzyna Niewiadoma of

Rwanda has been selected to host the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, cycling’s world governing body the UCI has confirmed. It will be the first time an African nation will have hosted the event. “I am delighted that we are heading to Kigali,” said UCI president David Lappartient. The decision was announced following the UCI’s

Great Britain’s Zoe Backstedt won the women’s junior road race at the Road Cycling World Championships in Belgium. The Welsh 16-year-old outsprinted the United States’ Kaia Schmid at the end of the 75km course in Leuven, with Germany’s Linda Riedmann clinching bronze. Backstedt had already won silver in the junior time trial event. She also

South Yorkshire Police Britain’s most successful Paralympian was subjected to a rude gesture from a passing car as she took part in a police cycling safety operation. Dame Sarah Storey was participating in South Yorkshire Police’s safe passing operation on the A57 in Sheffield. The force said the person who made the “pointless and unnecessary”

Great Britain’s Zoe Backstedt has won silver in the women’s junior time trial at the Road Cycling World Championships in Belgium. The Welsh rider, 16, covered the 19.4 km course in 25 minutes 16.13 seconds, 10.64 seconds slower than winner Alena Ivanchenko of Russia. Great Britain team-mate Maddy Leach finished fifth. Backstedt, who will ride

Venue: Flanders, Belgium Dates: 19-26 September Coverage: Live on BBC Two, BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app, and through Connected TVs The Netherlands’ Ellen van Dijk won her second Road Cycling World Championship time trial title as Britain’s Joss Lowden finished eighth. Van Djik, 34, completed the 30.3km course in 36

Watch the closing stages as Dutch rider Ellen van Dijk wins the world time trial title ahead of Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser and Olympic champion Annemiek van Vleuten at the Road Cycling World Championships in Flanders. 2021 Road World Championships: How to watch live coverage on the BBC Available to UK users only.

Venue: Flanders, Belgium Dates: 19-26 September Coverage: Live on BBC Two, BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app, and through Connected TVs Italy’s Filippo Ganna successfully defended his Road Cycling World Championships time trial title as Great Britain’s Ethan Hayter finished eighth. Ganna, 25, completed the 43.3km course in 47 minutes 47.83

At 50, some evaluate what they did in their lives; others think of what lies ahead. Others fully live in the present – and Davide Rebellin is one of those. Sitting in his team’s headquarters in Padua, north-east Italy – surrounded by jerseys from his career hung proudly on the wall – he enthuses about

Danish former professional cyclist Chris Anker Sorensen has died at the age of 37 after being hit by a vehicle during a ride in Belgium, the International Cycling Union (UCI) says. Sorensen was due to commentate on the Road World Championships, which begin in Flanders on Sunday. A stage winner in the 2010 Giro d’Italia,

Venue: Flanders, Belgium Dates: 19-26 September Coverage: Live on BBC Two, BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app, and through Connected TVs The 2021 UCI Road World Championships begin on Sunday in the Flanders region of Belgium. After Covid-19 restricted last year’s edition to the elite men’s and women’s road races and

Venue: Flanders, Belgium Dates: 19-26 September Coverage: Live on BBC Two, BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app, and through Connected TVs The UCI Road World Championships will be held in Flanders, Belgium from 19-26 September – and all the elite action will be shown live on the BBC. Based around the

SWPix A 12-year-old cyclist who outstripped professionals during a major British race on Saturday has been “shocked and amazed” at the reaction to his feat. Xander Graham raced alongside riders on the Tour of Britain near Edinburgh before being handed a water bottle from Dutch cyclist Pascal Eenkhoorn. The impromptu meeting was broadcast live to