VN ticker: Amanda Spratt riding again after leg surgery, all-star cast set for Matteo Trentin's Monaco crit

Amanda Spratt riding again after leg surgery

Amanda Spratt is back on her bike again six weeks after undergoing surgery to treat iliac artery endofibrosis.

Spratt can only do a small number of short rides until the end of the year with doctors telling her to keep her heart rate down as she recovers from the operation.

Despite a promising start to the year and a fourth-place at the Amstel Gold Race, the Australian rider endured an increasingly difficult season. She was diagnosed with the iliac artery endofibrosis in mid-August after she was told by the Australian team doctor at the Olympic Games to be examined for the condition.

After finishing her season at the world championships at the end of September, she had the surgery. Iliac artery endofibrosis is a common issue among cyclists and other endurance athletes and it can cause the artery to become stiff, which can result in a reduction of the bloodflow.

“Back on the bike! 6 weeks post-op and this week I can do 1 x 45mins ride staying as upright as possible. I need to keep my heart rate under 100bpm until the end of December so it was slow-going. Far away from where I’m used to being, but it felt so great to pedal again,” Spratt said on Twitter.

Pogačar, Roglič, Sagan among star-studdest startlist for Matteo Trentin’s Monaco critérium

Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič, and Peter Sagan will top the bill at the inaugural Beking critérium next weekend.

The race has been organized by UAE-Emirates star Matteo Trentin in a bid to strengthen ties between the Monaco hosts and its brimming pro cyclist community. Trentin is also hoping to push a safer environment for riders of all ages and abilities and promote sustainable transport with the day-long festival.

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, Sam Bennett, Sonny Colbrelli, Michael Matthews, Geraint Thomas and Elia Viviani will also be a part of the 40-rider startlist for the circuit race that headlines the event.

The wider festival will also include a kids’ ride and series of charitable events aimed at raising funds for La Fondation Princesse Charlène de Monaco and La Fondazione Michele Scarponi. Trentin is hoping to see next Sunday’s race be the first of many Beking events.

Cycling New Zealand performance head resigns after Olympic ‘integrity breach’

Cycling New Zealand’s high-performance director Martin Barras has resigned from his post after an investigation uncovered a so-called “integrity breach” at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

According to the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC), which undertook the investigation, the breach relates to the process for replacing athletes during a cycling event in Tokyo.

Under the current rules, rider line-ups can change between rounds of an event. However, once the start list has been confirmed, replacements can only be made if a rider has sustained an injury. NZOC said that a rider replacement made during the competition “had not been conducted according to IOC and UCI rules”.

While Barras was not deemed to be at fault by New Zealand Cycling, he was “ultimately responsible” for it, the organization said. Barras’ resignation follows the recent announcement that CEO Jacque Landry would be leaving his post at the end of the year to return home to Canada.

“After the Games team returned, I became aware of a possible integrity breach that had occurred during one of the cycling events. I immediately carried out a preliminary investigation. That led me to alert the New Zealand Olympic Committee which has jurisdiction over the New Zealand Team at Olympic Games,” Landry said.

“Cycling New Zealand was extremely disappointed to learn of this incident. The Code of Conduct has been made patently clear to everyone, especially since it was strengthened after 2018.”