CW Live: Watch Caleb Ewan boss amateur group ride; Iván Sosa assaulted while training; Quick-Step TV series coming to Amazon Prime; Mark Cavendish left 'very distressed' by robbery; Boris bikes record year and SD Worx unveil bright 2023 kit

 SD Worx unveils bright 2023 kit

SD Worx have released their kit for the 2023 season and it sticks fairly closely to theri design from 2022.

Lotte Kopecky and co will once again sport a pink and purple fade but this one will run out for the centre of the jersey rather than the corners. They’ve also added a cross to the design on the torso,

The kit “attention and exudes personality” according to star rider Demi vollering and is once again designed by bike supplier Specialized.

You can find our round-up of all the 2023 kits here.

 Mark Cavendish left 'very distressed' by knifepoint home robbery

Tour de France legend Mark Cavendish was left “very distressed” by an armed robbery at his home in Essex, a court was told yesterday.

According to multiple reports, in the trial of two men for the robbery police recounted that the cyclist looked very shaken by the incident when he opened the door to police.

The BBC quotes PC Adem Harman saying: "Both parties [Mr Cavendish and his wife] were very distressed so were talking and trying to convey as much information as they could.”

The court was told the suspects rushed into Cavendish’s bedroom, punched him in the face and demanded he open a safe.

The two men on trial, Romario Henry and Oludewa Okorosobo,  have denied the charges. A third man, Ali Sesaay, has admitted to two counts of robbery at an earlier hearing.

Two further suspects, Jo Jobson and George Goddard, remain at large the court has been told.

The trial is expected to conclude next week.

 Iván Sosa attacked by gun wielding driver 

Colombian rider Iván Sosa was reportedly attacked by a gun carrying truck driver while out training near his home in Colombia.

According to a report in El Tiempo the driver fired shots into the air before pistol whipping the Movistar rider.

His team posted on social media: “We confirm that Iván Sosa was treated for chin injuries at a medical centre in Fusagasugá (Colombia), his place of origin, after the incident suffered this Thursday.”

Jayco-AlUla's clean up at Australian crit champs

Overnight for those of you in Europe, home team Jayco-AlUla have had a clean sweep of the men's and women's titles at the Australian crit championships.

Amber Pate and Kell O’Brien both rode to victory in Ballarat.

Pate, riding her first ever race in Jayco AlUla colours, took the victory ahead of teammate Alex Manly, while O’Brien also edged out a team-mate in the shape of Blake Quick.

Pate said: “That’s a really big surprise! The team really stuck to the plan, which wasn’t for me, but we stuck to it to make the race aggressive.

“At the end Tilly [Field] did a good attack and I was following just to make sure it came down to a sprint for my teammates behind. I came around the final corner and I was like ‘oh we’ve got a gap’ and I just had to make the decision there. If I was to drop back and help with the lead-out, I wouldn’t have been able to assist, so I gave it my best there and trusted that if my teammates caught us, they could also bring it home.”

 How to get your back pain fixed, Mathieu van der Poel

There has been a bit of reporting today about Mathieu van der Poel’s back after his loss to Wout van Aert yesterday.

At the X20 Trofee Koksijde he could be seen stretching his back out on the bike and told Belgian TV channel Sporza that the pain that caused him to cut his cyclo-cross season short last year had “suddenly” returned.

It’s not an uncommon problem for cyclist to experience back pain, I've had issues myself due to a tight hip flexor.

While van der Poel has all the experts he needs to sort him out I'm sure if you’re having similar issues then you should take a look at our own guide to treating back pain, which could hopefully kick-start you on the road to recovery.

Glasgow Super Worlds to boost Scotland’s economy

Scottish culture secretary Angus Robertson has claimed the Super Worlds that are set to take place in Glasgow, Scotland this August will bring a lasting boost to the Scottish economy.

According to local paper the Daily Record the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)  for Edinburgh Central touted the benefits to tourism in the country from the millions that would see the events.

The Super Worlds combines for the first time multiple cycling disciplines into one World Championships with road, track, mountain bike, BMX and indoor cycling all competing.

Robertson told the paper: "As well as boosting tourism and supporting Scotland's economy, this major and first of its kind world event can have a lasting legacy.

"Through our £1 million Community Cycling Fund, we are already supporting sustainable cycling projects and local events to ensure as many communities across Scotland get involved.

"We want to inspire a new generation to cycle, helping more people to benefit from the mental and physical health benefits, as well as promoting active travel and helping reduce travel emissions."

 Soudal Quick-Step TV show coming on Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is set to screen a docuseries about the Soudal Quick-Step team's 2022 season, according to a report by Cycling Weekly sister publication CyclingNews.

At the team’s presentation in  De Panne, Belgium the squad announced the show which will debut at some point in 2023.

The programme follows in the footsteps of Movistar’s ‘Least Expected Day’ series on Netflix.

The team, known as Deceuninck - Quick-Step throughout much of 2022, celebrated a raft of victories last year, most notably Remco Evenpoel’s autumn double header of wins at the Vuelta Espana and the World Championships. The squad also won two stages of the Tour de France and one of the Giro d’Italia.

Team boss Patrick Lefevere told CyclingNews: "It's hard for riders to have the whole year cameras on your back. Only when they get into bed at night, they are not there.

"I tried to say to the boys, 'Listen, it will be tough for you but if one day you're older and you have kids and grandkids, you can be proud, and say 'this is what I did in 2022'."

Alejandro Valverde is still retired BTW

You may have been a touch confused if earlier today you saw that Movistar started posting pictures of cycling Peter Pan Alejandro Valverde in team kit on their Twitter account.

"Didn't he retire at the end of 2022?" you might reasonably have asked.

Yes he did, but my colleague Tom Davidson just thought he'd check with the squad that this isn't a sign that the Spanish champ had, once again, decided to postpone a date with some slippers and a rocking chair.

"No Alejandro will not ride as a pro, he has retired," came the response from a team spokesperson.

So he's not riding any races? Tom enquired, keen to triple check this.

"None." 

I hope we've cleared that up.

London bike hire scheme has record year in 2022

The London's Santander Cycle bike hire scheme celebrated a record year in 2022 with more bike loans than in any time in the scheme's history.

Developed by Ken Livingston when he was Mayor of London the bikes came into operation in 2010 when Boris Johnson was in office and remain known as "Boris Bikes" to many in the city.

Transport for London (TfL) today released figures showing 11,506,889 hires were taken in 2022, more than at any point since they were introduced. IT was also more than half a million more than in 2021.

The scheme introduced e-Bikes for the first time last year.

TfL said the increase in the scheme's use was in line with a wider increase in walking and cycling in the capital.

Strava artist's Pele tribute

A Strava artist in Brazil has draw footballing legend Pele in a Natal, Brazil.

Athlete Gustavo Lyra ran the 20km course and submitted the piece to the popular Strava Art Instagram account.

Pele the hero of Brazil’s 1970s international squad died aged 82 just last week and was buried yesterday.

We’d have preferred it if he’d done it on a bike but it’s so good you deserve to see it regardless.

Caleb Ewan joins local bunch ride and tears everyone’s legs off

Video has emerged of WorldTour sprinter Caleb Ewan turning up to a local fast bunch ride in Noosa, Queensland, Australia.

The Lotto Dstny sprinter, who is set to start his season at the Australian National Championships this weekend, joined the Tuesday World Champs ride in Noosa and local YouTube star and coach Cam Nicholls was there to film it.

It’s not the first time he’s done this, as Nicholls explains in the video, Ewan has family in the area and has previously showed up for some efforts on the roads with this group in years passed.

All in all it sounds like a painful but fun experience. Watch below.