This isn’t only a winter sports newsletter now…
Men race up the Colle delle Finestre in 2015. It’s the women’s turn now.
Cor Vos
Good day, and thanks for opening up another Wheel Talk Newsletter. It’s hard to believe it’s already December. This year seemed to really fly by. For the riders, nothing flew by faster than the offseason. I’ve seen quite a few big names out on the roads, mainly Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, logging some winter miles as they prepare for pre-holiday December training camps. On the snow sport side, the Cross Country skiing season is underway, with the Scandinavians predictably sweeping last weekend’s events.
First things first: Mikaela Shiffrin keeps making history
The American downhill skier won again over the weekend, again it was a slalom, this time on her (almost) home hill, Copper Mountain. The victory was her third slalom win in a row this season after already topping the podium in Levi and Gurgl. With the win, Shriffin also cemented her qualification for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy.
Even before taking the win, Shriffin already made history as the most decorated alpine skier of all time, but Sunday’s addition brings her tally up to 104 World Cup victories, a jaw-dropping number. It was also extra special for a few reasons. Firstly, because one year ago to the day, Shiffrin crashed in a Giant Slalom in Killington, Vermont, and suffered a puncture wound to the abdomen. She was open after the incident about the lengthy recovery process and the PTSD she had to overcome once back on skis.
Secondly, it was her first win in Colorado in a decade. The last time she won on home snow was at the Aspen World Cup in November of 2015. After her win in Gurgl, Shriffin said that it’s not every day she gets to race in a World Cup and then sleep in her own bed, so she was extra excited for the World Cup to be at Copper Mountain.
The World Cup continues with two Giant Slaloms in Tremblant, Canada, this weekend before the skiers make their way back over the pond to Courchevel, France. The first speed events of the season will be next week, December 12-14, in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Transfers update
There have been no transfer announcements since SD Worx-Protime added Valentina Cavallar to the roster, so it looks like we can put this section of the newsletter to bed. It was a quieter transfer season than last year, to be expected in a post-Olympic year. I expect next season we will see some big moves again, as riders usually sign two-year deals, and a lot of those will be expiring after the 2026 season. I doubt anything can beat 2024’s transfer season.
A few very good riders are still unattached, as far as the wider world is concerned. There are some, like Nina Kessler for EF Education-Oatly and Julie De Wilde for Fenix-Decuninck, believed to be renewed but not yet announced, and others like Emilia Fahlin, Ilaria Sanguineti, and Tamara Dronova-Balbolina, who are complete unknowns. Some transfers are known, like Mylène De Zoete, thanks to social media leaks, but not confirmed by the teams themselves. At this point, teams holding out on announcing all their renewals is annoying, at best. Come on, what are you all waiting for?! It’s December!
Racing continues…
At the Tour Down Under in 46 days! Podcasts are being planned. Co-hosts are being called in. Things are moving.
Wheel Talk podcast
This week’s episode is another very special one. I had the opportunity to talk to Peruvian artistic cyclist Gracia Sotomayor. Gracia has one of those stories that, as she’s telling you, you have to fight to keep your jaw from hitting the floor. But I won’t spoil the episode for you. Have a listen and feel all the emotions yourself. Here’s a little taste of what you can expect:
There is also a written piece coming.
Let’s discuss
Who could win next year’s Giro d’Italia?
The 2026 Giro route was unveiled on Monday, and the addition of a ninth stage, the uphill time trial, and the new dates are all reasons to be excited for the future of the Italian race.
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift route, while exciting for its own reasons, left me wondering what the sprinters would do with their summer months. Now we know that at least a few of them will be gunning for those first two stages at the Giro. I would put my money on Elisa Balsamo being the quickest woman who wants that first stage the most, since it comes with the first pink jersey of the race.
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