Welcome back to another edition of Pro Log. The Classics are officially in the rear-view mirror as we enter Grand Tour season with La Vuelta Femenina and the upcoming Giro d’Italia. In the opening stage team time-trial, Jumbo-Visma beat Canyon-SRAM by one second with Brit Anna Henderson wearing the first red jersey of the race. Charlotte Kool kept her cool for Team DSM, ensuring sprint success on Stage 2 ahead of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), who now wears the maillot rojo,

Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) won Stage 4 and the general classification at the Tour de Romandie, 19 seconds ahead of Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar). Søren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was victorious in the sprint finish at Eschborn-Frankfurt.

1. La Vuelta Femenina begins in new slot

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Speaking of Grand Tours, with a new name and new slot on the women’s calendar, the first edition of La Vuelta Femenina has begun in Spain. The seven-stage race was previously known as the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta and held in September across five days.

Having crossed the line first as her Jumbo-Visma team won the opening stage team time-trial, Anna Henderson had the honour of wearing the first red jersey of the race. Canyon-SRAM’s Chloé Dygert attempted a long sprint for victory on Stage 2, but was overtaken by Charlotte Kool (Team DSM) as Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) now holds the race lead.

It’s shaping up to be a great week of racing, with an exciting finish up to Lagos de Covadonga on Sunday. Will SD Worx’s Demi Vollering continue her campaign of dominance from her Ardennes Classics triple success into the Grand Tours or will Annemiek van Vleuten prove she’s still the stage race queen in her final season?

2. Trek-Segafredo part ways with Antonio Tiberi

Antonio Tiberi has been released by the Trek-Segafredo team. Tiberi shot and killed a cat belonging to San Marino’s tourism minister Federico Pedini Amati with an air rifle near his home.

Tiberi was fined €4,000 and initially suspended without pay for 20 days. Trek-Segafredo’s statement on his release also said, ‘the rider’s actions during his suspension did not meet our criteria for a return to competition’. Interesting.

21-year-old Tiberi is free to sign with another team from 1st August.

3. Giulio Ciccone withdraws from Giro d’Italia startlist

Tim de Waele/Getty Images

Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) said his ‘heart is broken’ after being ruled out of the Giro d’Italia, which starts on Saturday 6th May, due to a Covid-19 infection. The Italian would have been co-leader alongside Mads Pedersen in his 8th edition of his home Grand Tour with the Grande Partenza taking place near his hometown of Chieti.

Ciccone joins an extending list of riders with Covid-19, including Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic), Sam Oomen, Tosh van der Sande (both Jumbo-Visma), and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan). Ciccone thrives at the Giro, winning three stages in 2016, 2019 and 2022, throwing his sunglasses in celebration.

The team has announced their start list for the race in typically creative fashion, using TV shows and movies with Italian connections such as Casino Royale and La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) to reveal their riders.

4. Charlie Burton dies aged 93

Charlie Burton died peacefully at home on Friday aged 93. Burton rode for Morley Cycling Club for over 70 years and was the husband of legendary cyclist Beryl Burton, introducing her to the sport and working several jobs while supporting his wife, who said he was instrumental in all her success.

His support was widely documented and Jeremy Wilson, author of ‘Beryl: In search of Britain’s Greatest Athlete’ wrote his obituary for British Cycling ‘For the 1963 World Championships, he drove to Belgium in the family’s three-wheeled car that had been presented by the Cycle Industries Association out of respect for Beryl winning the world pursuit and road race double three years earlier.

‘Charlie and their seven-year-old Denise slept in the three-wheeler during the World Championships. In Paris the following year, Charlie travelled alone and found a wooded area near the Parc des Princes to pitch his tent but, after being woken by a herd of pigs, was found in a sleeping bag in the doorway of the British team hotel…

‘Charlie had spent two years in Germany for the Royal Air Force and his expert mechanical support would extend far beyond Beryl to the entire British women’s team and indeed any other cyclist who ever required any help.’

Rest in peace Charlie Burton.

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