Dan Challis

Scotland

Cycling Journalist at Freelance

Cycling journalist. Words for Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly and others. Subscribe to my newsletter: Global Peloton.

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Articles

'Rwanda is safe' - The latest on the Kigali World Championships

2 days ago | globalpeloton.substack.com | Dan Challis

There are just over four months to go until the 2025 UCI Road World Championships head to Africa for the first time. Organisers and national federations are gearing up for the Kigali Worlds, but for some, questions around cost and safety remain around the event. By all reports, the situation in Rwanda itself is one of peace, as was evident with February’s Tour du Rwanda going by without problems.
Mads Pedersen re-claims pink jersey after second Giro d'Italia sprint win on stage 3

4 days ago | cyclingweekly.com | Dan Challis

The 2025 Giro d'Italia is three stages deep, and two of them have been won by Mads Pedersen. The Dane won the final sprint on the Giro's final day in Albania on stage three. Pedersen's Lidl-Trek team had controlled the peloton for most of the stage, looking to manage the gap to those in front to save the Dane's legs and setting up a reduced sprint at the finish in Valona (Vlorë).
‘I have hardly done such efforts until now’ - Anna van der Breggen third on return to Grand Tour racing at Vuelta Feminina

5 days ago | cyclingweekly.com | Dan Challis

After four years away from the professional peloton, Anna van der Breggen reaffirmed her status as a Grand Tour contender after finishing on the podium of La Vuelta Feminina. The SD Worx-ProTime rider landed third at the mountainous week-long race behind a dominant Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) and runner-up Marlen Reusser (Movistar). Van der Breggen came out of retirement this season after three years working as a Director Sportif for SD Worx-ProTime, during which time she also coached Vollering.
Giro d'Italia - Louis Meintjes is looking to make an impact on the race

1 week ago | globalpeloton.substack.com | Dan Challis

No African rider has ridden more Grand Tours in the history of the sport than Louis Meintjes, who takes on number 19 at the Giro d’Italia starting this weekend in Albania. 7th place at the 2022 Tour de France was his best overall result and he won a stage of the Vuelta a España into Les Praeres in the same year.
Introducing Romina Hinojosa: Mexican rider 'living her dream' with Lotto

1 week ago | globalpeloton.substack.com | Dan Challis

Romina Hinojosa is one of the most exciting talents in a new generation of Mexican cyclists. Since moving to Europe for the 2024 season, her rise has been impressive, with a brilliant performance at the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes enough to convince the Belgian Lotto team that she was worth offering a contract to for this year.
Africa and the Monuments

2 weeks ago | globalpeloton.substack.com | Dan Challis

Kim Le Court-Pienaar has made history as the first rider from Africa to win one of the Monuments - cycling’s most historic one day races. The AG Insurance-Soudal rider’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday was another breakthrough moment for African cycling. Milano-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia are the most revered races on the men’s calendar.
Tour of Guangxi to join One Cycling series

2 weeks ago | globalpeloton.substack.com | Dan Challis

The brand new race series that aims to revolutionise the sport, One Cycling, is set to bring on the Tour of Guangxi to join its inaugural season in 2026, Global Peloton understands. The new series, set to be named the One Cycling Global Race Series, will include up to sixteen races in four continents, with a season-ending finale in Saudi Arabia, as reported by Chris Marshall-Bell for Escape Collective.
Kim Le Court-Pienaar, Monument winner

2 weeks ago | globalpeloton.substack.com | Dan Challis

There’s a fact about Kim Le Court-Pienaar that shouldn’t be forgotten. Less than two years ago, the AG Insurance-Soudal rider wasn’t event a road racer. She was a full-time mountain biker, winning the Cape Epic in South Africa and competing in the Marathon World Championships at the Glasgow Super Worlds. Read more: Kim Le Court on Milan-Sanremo - 'It's going to be special'Now, she is the winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, one of the biggest races on the calendar - and it wasn’t even a surprise.
Tour of Türkiye: Global Riders to Watch

2 weeks ago | globalpeloton.substack.com | Dan Challis

With more relaxed visa restrictions in Türkiye, the country’s national tour is always a melting pot of riders from all over the world. Over the years, it has been a particularly happy hunting ground for riders from Africa and Asia who wouldn’t usually get to compete in such a high-level event. With its status as a UCI 2.PRO race, the Tour of Türkiye equally attracts professional teams in search of a bucket-load of UCI points.
Naveen John, the Indian who races in Belgium

3 weeks ago | globalpeloton.substack.com | Dan Challis

It’s extremely rare to see an Indian rider racing a UCI race on the road, even on the Asia Tour. One might expect then that it would be even more rare to see an Indian cyclist compete at the cultural epicentre of European cycling: the Belgian Kermesse scene. However, for the last decade, that’s where you would find Naveen John; an Indian racer who has become infatuated with the historic Belgian races.