Pogacar makes his entrance in the Cobblestone Arena

Strade Bianche honours triple winner Tadej Pogačar with a gravel sector bearing his name | Cyclingnews

Vingegaard’s no show in the Emirates hit me hard with del Toro taking GC.  Jonathan Milan’s three sprint victories eased the pain.  Group 1 of the league contains only Tadej. Jonas, Romero with the injured Mads Pederson and Jaoa Almeida.
Pogacar and del Torro join forces in Strade Bianchi with the Mexican no-doubt playing second fiddle to his team leader.

My full team is
Pogacar Tadej [Uae Team Emirates – Xrg]
Pidcock Thomas [Pinarello – Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team]
Philipsen Jasper [Alpecin – Premier Tech]
Jorgenson Matteo [Team Visma – Lease A Bike]
Seixas Paul [Decathlon – Cma Cmg Team]
Simmons Quinn [Lidl – Trek]
Küng Stefan [Tudor Pro Cycling Team]
Rodriguez Martin Cristian [Xds – Astana Team]
Zimmermann Georg [Lotto – Intermarché]
Widar Jarno [Lotto – Intermarché]
Sweeny Harry [Ef Education – Easypost]

Weather fair but underfoot soggy

Once again the South Shropshire Circular has been blessed with a fair weather forecast but the two dry days we had last week have done little to improve the state of many of the fields and paths en route.  In fact runners and walkers may find themselves looking forward to a good climb to get away from the mud.

If you were lucky enough to secure an entry, the car park at Minsterley opens at 6.30 with the event starting at 8.00 sharp.

Vingegard withdrawal costs me dear

The top riders in Cobblestone League have been slow to make their appearance.  None undertook the long journey to Australia for the Tour Down Under, but in Period 2 Almeida was in Spain and Vingegaard was due to take on the UAE tour.  Almeida was well beaten by Evenepoul in Valencia and my decision to go with the Danish number one looked a good one as I briefly sat in top spot following  my top three full house in the Cadel Evans.  The Visma leader has suffered both illness and injury and his replacement by Kelderman however negated all this.  My week was further spoilt by Milan’s crash yesterday seeing my slip to 8th in the rankings.  My hope now is that Yates climbs better than Del Torro tomorrow.

Challenge Walks – a changing profile

My own Long Distance Walkers group, the Marches has one of the best track records within the association for hosting challenge walks usually 20-30 miles with2-3000 foot of climbing.  We organise 4 walks annually and since covid everyone has been fully booked within a few weeks (often only a few days).  For some years the average age of entries has been climbing to the high fifties with men dominating the lists.  This year has seen the average age drop with female walkers now making up the greater numbers.

The achievements of female athletes in ultra events no longer surprises us as women trail runners snap up records as their counterparts in the swimming world have been doing for some time.

  • Courtney Dauwalter (USA): Widely considered the greatest of all time, she continued her dominance in 2025, winning the Lavaredo Ultra Trail 120K and the Mt. Fuji 100 Mile. In 2023, she became the first person to win the Western States, Hardrock, and UTMB in a single year.
  • Katie Schide (USA/France): A top-tier elite who won the 2025 Hardrock 100 and the 2025 Madeira Ultra Trail 100-miler. She also holds titles from UTMB (2022, 2024).
  • Sarah Perry (UK): Had a breakthrough 2025 season, becoming the “last woman standing” at the 2025 Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championships in Tennessee, setting a new women’s world record of 95 laps (approx. 396 miles).
  • Ruth Croft (New Zealand): Won the 2026 Tarawera by UTMB 102k (her third consecutive win) and the 2025 Transvulcania 100K.
  • Jasmin Paris (UK): Made history in 2024 as the first woman to ever complete the Barkley Marathons within the time limit.

New Brits on the world tour

Young British riders are well to the fore in UCI rankings with Tom Pidcock and Oscar Onley both in the top 10.  Simon Yates has announced his retirement but Adam hopes to contnue his return to the top after a stunning Giro steal.  Matthew Brennan, Ben Tulet and Samuel Watson will hopefully improve their ranking as the season progresses, Mattie and Sam having already picked up stages ‘Down Under’.

Debutants this season include Oliver Peace for Picnic Post, Noah Hobbs for Easy Post, Callum Thornley for Red Bull and Joshua Giddings for Lotto

Sprinters or Climbers

Sprinters or climbers the Cobblestone Dilemma

Short tours like the current Tour Down Under pose a problem to cycling fantasists.  A climber will probably gain enough time to take the GC but is likely to compete in only one stage.  The other stages will likely be shared amongst the sprinters or a rouleur in a break.  I discarded Jay Vine for Matthew Brennan, a mistake as it turned out but I luckily picked up points from Tobias Andresen to soften the pain.

LDWA member – hero on Montane Spine Challenge

MONTANE WINTER SPINE / An unconventional end!
Edwin Tate crosses the line in a rather unconventional end to his Montane Spine Challenger North.
Edwin was skirting the cut off through the night, but pushed hard to try and make it through the Cheviot and down to the finish line.
When a fellow runner encountered difficulties on course, Edwin sacrificed his own race and chance to beat the cutoff to assist her, supporting both HQ and the Safety Teams to make sure she was helped on safely.
Edwin was given a three hour time credit for assisting his fellow runner, but unfortunately this still wasn’t quite enough to make it to the finish in time.
However, he was in good health and fine spirits and after having been deemed medically fit to continue he kept walking, finally crossing the line as a non-competitive runner in 116hrs 47mins.
He might not have an official finish position, but we think Edwin deserves a huge thank you for showcasing the spirit of the Spine family, and a massive congratulations on completing the Montane Winter Spine Challenger North, in slightly unconventional circumstances.
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