Newsflash: June 20th - Pidcock's staggering speed, Afghan Hopes, and the World Tour Powers at play
In the broader cycling world, the UCI has rejected the Saudi-backed One Cycling project's bid to reshape the WorldTour calendar, citing governance issues. However, the project's supporters remain determined to press on, potentially setting the stage for a major shake-up in the sport's future.
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News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
Tearful Red Bull staff ordered to ‘smile more' by new boss Helmut Marko after Christian Horner sacking
Tearful staff rocked by Red Bull chief Christian Horner's axing have been ordered to 'smile more' by their new Austrian and German bosses. Loyal workers were stunned when the British Formula One team's supremo Horner, 51, was ousted following a stellar 20-year reign. He helped Red Bull win eight drivers' championships and six constructors' crowns. And sources told SunSport new Austrian boss Helmut Marko upset staff who gathered to meet him at the team's HQ in Milton Keynes — with some now threatening to quit. A female Red Bull worker revealed: 'It was only a day after Christian was sacked and a lot of the team were still upset when Mr Marko addressed us. 'But he just made a joke of it and told us to cheer up — he said, 'You need to smile more'. 'It didn't endear him to anyone as what is there to smile about?' Horner's roles as chief executive officer and team principal have been usurped by Austrian team adviser Marko, 82, and German ex-football official Oliver Mintzlaff, 49. While French engineer and motorsport exec Laurent Mekies, 48, was quickly unveiled as Horner's replacement last week. But insiders have insisted Mintzlaff and Marko are now the men in the driving seat — and revealed their first address to staff at Milton Keynes was a 'car crash'. Mintzlaff sparked more anger when he joked about the brutal axing of senior staff including Horner, chief marketing officer Oliver Hughes and director of communications Paul Smith. Horner was summoned to London on July 9 believing he was attending a regular team meeting. But he was then relieved of his duties on the spot and put on gardening leave. Hughes and Smith were called into an office and also told they were no longer part of Red Bull's future. They were escorted out of the building after having their company devices taken from them — leaving hundreds of staff with no bosses to answer to. And another staff member told SunSport: 'Mintzlaff     also said, 'If you have any problems, just text your line manager'. 'Then he added, 'Oh, and if you don't have a line manager any more, just text me!' and started laughing.' Red Bull supremo Horner knew nothing of the plans to get rid of him, 18 months after he was accused of a sexting scandal which broke the heart of his Spice Girl wife Geri, 52. And the £12million-a-year chief was replaced within 24 hours by Marko and Mintzlaff, who arrived to address staff members, 90 per cent of whom are British. Emotional Red Bull insiders spoke in depth for the first time yesterday over their shock at the loss of their boss. They also laid bare the chaos that is now gripping this once all-conquering F1 team. And long-standing family friends who have spoken to Horner admitted he was left stunned by his ruthless removal. One told SunSport: 'Christian told me how hurt and betrayed he felt after all that he and Geri and their family have been through over the past 18 months. 'He was cleared twice over the texting scandal but is now on gardening leave and has still been given no explanation why he's lost the job he loved. 'Red Bull's Austrian bosses have always resented the fact that so much of their F1 success was down to a team that Christian built in Britain. 'That is what lies behind this — as well as the hangover from the terrible headlines last year. 'Christian was called to a London meeting and had no idea what it was about. 'He was just told, 'You have to be there' and was dumbfounded when he was ushered into a room and effectively sacked on the spot. 'It left him totally blindsided — he thought he'd been called in to speak about another issue. 'But the staff are nearly all Brits and are fiercely loyal to him and are now talking about walking out. 'It was a targeted attack for control of the race team because Red Bull's Austrian HQ didn't like a British man running their race team. 'But now the team is in chaos — Red Bull at Milton Keynes has hit the skids.'Red Bull's Austrian-based HQ was approached for comment yesterday.
ABC News
8 hours ago
- ABC News
Tim Wellens takes out Tour de France stage, as Julian Alaphilippe comes third and thinks he's won
Belgium's Tim Wellens overpowered his breakaway companions to claim victory on stage 15 of the Tour de France — but French rival Julian Alaphilippe later wrongly celebrated thinking he had won, only to find out he was third. The French showman, who is loved by fans for his aggressive, attacking riding, won a bunch sprint, beating another Belgian, Wout van Aert, and France's Axel Laurance. He sat up and punched the air in triumph on the line, not realising he had finished one minute, 36 seconds behind Wellens and eight seconds behind second-placed Victor Campenaerts. Alaphilippe, who had been involved in a big crash early on the stage, smiled at his mistake after the race. "Of course, you have to take it in a funny way," Alaphilippe told reporters after the end of the stage. "Even after the line, Wouty [Wout van Aert] said to me 'no, no, there is people in the front [ahead of us]. "Yeah, after the crash, my radio didn't work, so I have to take it in a funny way. "I did it on Liège–Bastogne–Liège, now I did it on the Tour, so it's part of the game." In 2020, Alaphilippe looked to have won the Belgian one-day cycling classic Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and sat up on the line, raising his arms in triumph, only to be pipped by the fast-finishing Primož Roglič. Wellens, one of defending champion and overall leader Tadej Pogačar domestiques, jumped away from a leading group of six some 43 kilometres from the finish and never looked back, beating compatriot Campenaerts by 1:28. "It's a very special victory, everybody wants to ride the Tour but not everybody wins on the Tour de France," Wellens said. "Suddenly there was a big crash … I followed one move and I was in the breakaway. "I had an opportunity, I took it and I had legs to finish it." Wellens's master, Pogacar, still leads Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard by 4:13 in the overall standings, edging 169.3 kilometres closer to a fourth Tour title after the hilly ride between Muret and Carcassonne. German Florian Lipowitz sits in third place, 7:53 off the pace. "I'm actually happier than for any of my wins," said Pogačar, who added he was recovering from a sore throat. Selected overall standings after Stage 15 "With all the ice we're having [to cool down from the heat] and the air conditioning, half of the peloton has a sore throat. It's a pain." The top riders stayed quiet all day, Pogačar slowing down after Lipowitz and Vingegaard were caught up behind an early crash. It was a hectic stage with relentless attacks from riders looking to capitalise on the rare opportunity of a victory as flat and mountain stages are the exclusive domain of top sprinters and general classification contenders. The group who would fight for the win took shape after more than 100 kilometres and Wellens was not only the stronger rider, he was also the smartest. Having done very little in the breakaway — one of the perks of riding for the yellow jersey holder — Wellens attacked on a slightly uphill section, catching everyone off guard. The 34-year-old attacked and the chasing group quickly disappeared into the background as he sped to his maiden Tour de France win to complete his grand tour stage victory collection after prevailing in the Giro d'Italia in 2016 and 2018 and in the Vuelta a Espana in 2020. Monday is a rest day on the Tour de France, in Montpellier. Wires/ABC
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Bizarre moment Tour de France rider snatches cardboard sign off stunned fan
This is the baffling moment a cyclist snatched a cardboard sign off a stunned fan during the Tour de France. In one of the highlights of an unremarkable Stage 14, Julian Alaphillippe was forced to take decisive action on Sunday (AEST). But Alaphilippe, 33, had a brilliant reason for grabbing it, The Sun reports. The home hero stole the cardboard to keep himself warm in the brutal conditions on the savage slopes of the Col du Tourmalet. The spectator, who had scribbled words of encouragement to his rival Wout van Aret, had reached for a cheeky handshake. But it was the sign that Alaphilippe was after, with the cardboard tearing in half as the Frenchman disappeared up the rainy road. You can watch the bizarre incident in the video above He calmly placed the placard across his handlebars, ripped it into two smaller pieces, while tossing the scraps away. Alaphilippe was then spotted unzipping his Tudor Pro cycling trisuit, before stuffing the sign inside, in a last-ditch attempt to preserve body heat. Former stage winner Zdenek Stybar said: 'Julian is really suffering from the cold'. The Tourmalet, the first of four brutal climbs, was living up to its fearsome reputation over the weekend. And around 30km later, after the worst of the conditions had passed, Alaphilippe flagged down the camera motorbike. He appeared to issue a roadside apology, before handing over the soggy remains of the sign. It has since been revealed that Alaphilippe apologised to the fan later while meeting her and offering her a gift. The two-time world champion Frenchman said: 'In the end the story ended well, I apologised to the woman whom I took it from. 'I gave her a bib, and she took a picture with Wout. In the end, thanks to this, she had a better time compared to what she would have experienced at the top of the Tourmalet.' It was a rare moment of drama on an otherwise savage day in the mountains, where Remco Evenepoel abandoned the race on the first climb. Alaphilippe ultimately finished in 50th place, way behind maiden stage winner Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), who held off Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). Reigning champ Pogacar, who finished the stage second, marginally extended his commanding overall lead over Jonas Vingegaard. Meanwhile, Alaphilippe was among a group of riders to receive medical attention after being caught up in a big crash on Stage 15 on Sunday. Wellens wins stage as Pogacar maintains Tour de France stranglehold Tim Wellens of Team UAE won a baking and hilly stage 15 of the Tour de France at Carcassonne on Monday morning (AEST) after a 45km solo rampage towards the walled citadel. Overall leader Tadej Pogacar held on to the overall lead with a 4min 13sec advantage on Jonas Vingegaard, who had to fight to catch up when caught behind an early mass fall. Wellens had been part of an early break which only really got away once the fall sent a shockwave though the race. It was a large and mixed group that was whittled down to five before the Belgian champion suddenly accelerated and caught the others napping. This was a fifth win for Team UAE with Pogacar previously having won four stages on a thoroughly dominant Tour for the team. Wellens was so far ahead at the finish line he had time to high five dozens of Belgian fans on the run in on the eve of Belgium's national holiday. 'This makes me happier than winning a stage myself,' said Pogacar. 'He helps me keep this thing every day,' he said pointing to the jersey. Having previously won stages on the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana this triumph completes the set of stage wins on the three big tours for Wellens. 'Everybody wants to win a stage at the Tour de France, this is the special one,' said Wellens. 'I knew I was going to complete the trilogy and was enjoying the home straight with the fans. I'd been planning to lift the bike in the air, but I was so happy I forgot to do it' The remaining 167 of 184 riders embarked towards Carcassonne on yet another nervy stage. After a mass fall early on with Florian Lipowitz and Vingegaard involved, the Pogacar group raced on, leaving two-time winner Vingegaard and a pack of 30 riders to exhaust themselves catching up. There was embarrassment for Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, who celebrated at the line thinking he had won when in fact he was third. Sprinting for third place long after Wellens and Victor Campenaerts took the top two spots, Alaphilippe pipped Wout van Aert at the line. Poor Alaphilippe hung his head when his horrified compatriots told him. He had been part of the early fall, losing his race radio, and had no idea the stage had already been won, he explained. Pogacar entered the Pyrenees on Thursday trailing in second behind surprise yellow jersey Ben Healy but emerged with two more stage wins and a four-minute advantage at the top of the overall standings in his bid for a fourth Tour de France title. The defending champion said he had been ill. 'Half the peloton is coughing,' said Pogacar. 'I've got this red nose. It's because of all the ice packs and air conditioning I think, but I'm better now.' Monday is the final rest day before the 2025 edition soars into the Alps on Tuesday's stage 16 with the 15.8km ascent of Mont Ventoux at 7.9 percent gradient to its 1901m high summit. 'Mont Ventoux is for after the day off, so I don't want to talk about it now,' Pogacar said after the podium ceremony at Carcassonne. 'All I know is that Jonas will be attacking, I just don't want to think about it.'
