UAE Team Emirates XRG rider Juan Sebastián Molano was the latest victim of a robbery as thieves raided his house in La Trinidad, Boyacá in Colombia, stealing three bikes and other valuable items, totalling up to thousands of euros.
The two-time Vuelta a España stage winner is preparing for the next season with his brother Julián in Dubai, and the house was empty when a bunch of thieves broke into it, according to El Tiempo.
> UAE Team Emirates pro Juan Sebastián Molano hit head-on by motorist while training
The Molano family later reported that a Colnago road bike belonging to UAE Team Emirates XRG and two Specialized mountain bikes were among the stolen items, which also included household appliances, cycling jerseys, and various other accessories. They called on the cycling community to at least recover the three bikes that were taken from their home.
After the dramatic crash which overshadowed pro cycling’s return at Tour Down Under crit, the first stage of the men’s Tour Down Under was a relatively tumble-free affair. However, there was one crash with just a few kilometres to go, and the victim was Visma–Lease a Bike’s Dylan van Baarle.
The team said this morning: “Dylan van Baarle was involved in a crash in the final kilometres of today’s stage. Examinations after the finish line have revealed that he has broken his collarbone and he will not be able to start tomorrow.
This is a tough setback, but we know Dylan is a fighter who will come back stronger than ever. Looking forward to that moment already.”
If you’re a cyclist in this country, I can assume there would be very few rides or commutes where you manage to completely avoid being close passed by a driver. But imagine taking your bike for a spin for the first time in the year, and you end up getting close passed not once, not twice — but five times.
Unfortunately, that’s what happened to the cyclist who goes by the name of Bikery on social media user. They shared images of five different drivers passing closely while riding to visit a customer in Yorkshire, captioning: “My first ride of the year on Friday resulted in five drivers reported for close passes which in turn has led to five Notices of Intended Prosecution being sent to the owners/drivers.”
The cyclist also encouraged others with cameras on their bikes to share any instances of close passes or poor driving with the police, writing: “If you have video evidence of dangerous and inconsiderate driving you can submit it to the West Yorkshire Police OpSnap team who are dedicated to making our roads safer.”
They added: “As always on a post illustrating how easy it is to prosecute a driver for dangerous and inconsiderate driving the replies are mainly against it or disbelieving.
“TV, film and the media for decades hasve glorified car use and people getting away with road crime. Times change.”
The comments under the post were unnerving, with David Barker saying: “One of the reasons I don’t go out on my own any more. It’s a game to some of them.” Keith Fuller also commented: “So a normal day of biking then?” to which the cyclist replied: “Unfortunately yes.”
As always, if you do get close passed, our email (info [at] road.cc) and Facebook page inbox(es) are always open for submissions for the Near Miss of the Day series, regardless of whether the police decide to act on your footage or not. As we say, “The point is to make a point about driving standards and the lack of consideration for vulnerable road users on UK roads.”
> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?
After a thoroughly entertaining women’s race in the scorching Australian sun, the men’s Tour Down Under kicked off last night, and Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe’s Sam Welsford picked up where he left off in 2024 — smashing the doors down of the 2025 men’s road racing season with a well-taken victory in the bunch sprint.
The home rider, who won the points jersey last year with three wins in the six-day tour, never looked in doubt before the final few hundred metres of the finish line, with the peloton making their way through a tricky serpentine section before the riders geared up for the sprint.
Sam Welsford wins stage 1 of 2025 Tour Down Under (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Although Welsford looked in control of the sprint, the 19-year-old British prodigy Matthew Brennan came very close to raining on his parade, the Visma–Lease a Bike rider who was promoted from its Continental to WorldTour squad this year, announcing himself to the world in stellar fashion.
“I had someone on my wheel and I was keeping them in check, and I didn't actually notice the left,” Welsford said after the race. “I went to stop and salute, but I [had gone] pretty long, so I didn’t have much legs left. I should have realised that it was a really fast downhill sprint at the end.
“I thought I had it, but [Brennan] came at such a pace — I thought my front wheel was over the line, but then he came zooming past me, and I thought ‘maybe I mucked that up’, but I was happy to get it.”
FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON 🔥
Sam Welsford takes the first WorldTour win of 2025 at the Tour Down Under 👏 pic.twitter.com/RkeGB1BOoo
— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 21, 2025
Meanwhile, Brennan is already proving himself to be a top talent at 19 years of age (I swear they keep getting younger), the Giro Next Gen stage winner even feeling “a little frustrated” not to come away with the win.
“It’s a really nice result but it would be nice to win,” he said. “It’s really nice being the young riders’ jersey. That’s something that we're going for this year as a team. But it would always be nice to come first.”
“Sprinting is freakin’ hectic, innit?”
Well, get used to it, young lad!
It’s not every day that you meet a pro cycling legend, and not just that — but also get to do wheelies with him.
“Finally got to meet Peter Sagan in San Diego, thanks for stopping by and riding with us!” the fan wrote on Instagram.
It’s no Alpe d’Huez, but a wheelie from Sagan? I’ll take one anywhere — maybe even on the dancefloor.