Cycling

Australian Michael Matthews beat Denmark’s Mads Pedersen to win stage three of the Giro d’Italia. Matthews made a sprint for the line after the final corner and held on to take the 216km stage, which ran from Vasto to Melfi, in five hours one minute 41 seconds. Pedersen finished second, with Kadem Groves, of Australia,

Great Britain won 14 medals at the second Para-cycling Road World Cup of the season in Ostend, Belgium. Of those, seven were gold, including two apiece for Fin Graham (MC3) and Fran Brown (WC1) who won both the road race and time trial in their classes. In his road race, Graham topped an all-British podium,

Jonathan Milan took his first Grand Tour stage victory with a sprint finish on day two of the Giro d’Italia. The Bahrain Victorious rider, competing in his home country, crossed the line in San Salvo in four hours, 55 minutes and 11 seconds. He edged ahead of a tightly packed bunch, with David Dekker of

Dutch rider Annamiek van Vleuten won a third consecutive La Vuelta title, taking victory by just nine seconds from compatriot Demi Vollering. Movistar’s Van Vleuten, 40, started the seventh and final stage with a one minute 11 second lead. But Team SD Worx’s Vollering almost snatched overall victory by taking the final stage – a

Two-time champion Annemiek van Vleuten took the overall La Vuelta Femenina lead with one stage remaining after finishing second in Larado. Italy’s Gaia Realini, 21, beat the 40-year-old Netherlands rider in a sprint finish for her maiden tour-stage win. But Van Vleuten opened a lead of one minute 11 seconds in the general standings. Demi

Remco Evenepoel underlined his status as a favourite for the Giro d’Italia by winning the opening time trial on stage one. The Soudal-Quick Step rider took the leader’s maglia rosa jersey with a time of 21 minutes 18 seconds, 22 seconds quicker than Filippo Ganna. Primoz Roglic, seen as Belgian Evenepoel’s main challenger for overall

Britain’s former world track champion Tony Doyle has died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 64. Doyle won individual pursuit world gold in 1980 and 1986, in addition to winning four European pursuit titles and 23 six-day races. After retiring in 1995 because of injury, he later served as president of British Cycling and

Eddy Merckx, the great Belgian rider, once said to be a champion cyclist was not just about ability but possessing a “talent for suffering”. Geraint Thomas has certainly had his fair share of pain and misfortune, especially at the Giro d’Italia. There is unfinished business for the Welshman in this particular Grand Tour after freak

Demi Vollering held off two-time world road race champion Annemiek van Vleuten on an uphill finish to win stage five of La Vuelta Femenina. The SD Worx rider, 26, beat her Dutch compatriot to the finish line by three seconds and now leads the overall standings by five seconds. Overnight leader Marianne Vos slipped back

Tao Geoghegan Hart knows more than most how unpredictable the Giro d’Italia can be. When this year’s race begins on Saturday, it will be the first time Geoghegan Hart has been on the Giro start line since. Once again, the 28-year-old Londoner might not be the out-and-out favourite – but he has every reason to

The UCI is to “re-open consultation” around transgender women competing in elite female cycling events. British Cycling is also considering banning transgender women from elite female competition. The issue has also been discussed by the UCI’s management committee in Italy this week. Cycling’s global governing body released a statement on Thursday saying that it is

Ineos Grenadiers’ deputy team principal Rod Ellingworth says the prospect of a women’s road cycling team is “heading in right direction”. Ineos have one of the biggest budgets in cycling, but have so far not been involved in the Women’s World Tour. The team signed multi-discipline world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot of France for a new

Geraint Thomas has begun talks with Ineos Grenadiers over a new contract after brushing off retirement thoughts. The Tour de France winner and Olympic gold medallist is in the second year of a two-year extension signed in 2021. But the Welshman insisted he is fuelled by the “buzz” of competition as he prepares for the

Dutch rider Marianne Vos won stage three of La Vuelta Femenina to strengthen her hold on the red jersey. Vos, 35, beat compatriot and stage two winner Charlotte Kool in a sprint finish to widen her lead to 13 seconds. American Chloe Dygert remains second overall after finishing third on the 158km stage between Elche

British Cycling is considering banning transgender women from elite female competition. A new transgender eligibility policy is set to be announced later in May following a review and consultation. It comes after Austin Killips became the first male-to-female transgender athlete to win a UCI women’s stage race at the Tour of the Gila on Sunday.

Team DSM rider Charlotte Kool won stage two of La Vuelta Femenina with an impressive sprint to the line. Dutchwoman Kool pipped compatriot and Jumbo-Visma rider Marianne Vos to the line, with Canyon-Sram’s Chloe Dygert finishing in third place. The second stage was a 105.8km ride from Orihuela to Pilar de la Horadada. Vos’ second

Austin Killips has become the first transgender athlete to win a UCI women’s stage race at the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico. The 27-year-old American won stage five on Sunday to clinch the overall title, plus the ‘Queen of the Mountains’ jersey for best climber. She thanked fellow riders for their support after

British rider Anna Henderson will take the La Vuelta Femenina’s red jersey into day two after Team Jumbo-Visma won the first stage in Torrevieja. The Dutch side completed the 14.5km team time trial in 18 minutes and three seconds. Henderson crossed the line first for Jumbo-Visma, taking the lead in the general classification standings. “We