Matt De Neef

2 days ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

The 2025 season is proving to be something of a breakout for Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla). The 24-year-old is a proven performer at home in Australia, with six national titles already - three on the road, three in the ITT - but before this year, he hadn't won a race in Europe. In early April though, in his first race back after wrist surgery, Plapp won a stage of the UCI 2.1 Tour of Hellas (the Tour of Greece).

6 days ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

Australian road race champion Lucinda Stewart (Liv AlUla Jayco Continental) is facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines after fracturing her pelvis in a crash last week. The 20-year-old, who took a surprise win at Aussie Road Nationals in Perth earlier this year, revealed on Instagram on Sunday that a fall last Tuesday left her unable to walk. She flew home from Girona to Melbourne where scans revealed three pelvis fractures.

6 days ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

What a Giro d'Italia we've just witnessed. A long stint for Isaac del Toro in the maglia rosa. A GC battle poised until the very last weekend. And an epic conclusion to that GC battle on the mighty Colle delle Finestre, in all its gravel-strewn glory. Of course, you can read all about the Giro here at Escape.

1 week ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

The weather has changed since I last rode. Gone are those autumn mornings that shock the system with their surprising cold. Those days are the standard now. Winter is on its way. Flying down to I wish I'd spent the extra few minutes to find the gloves I knew I'd need. That I'd even tried to look for the leg warmers I thought I might need. The cold air bites wherever it can find exposed skin. It burrows deep into my lungs, making the early kilometres a challenge.

1 week ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

If you had any concerns that this year's Giro d'Italia wouldn't be an entertaining affair, those fears have presumably been stamped out by now. It's the second rest day now, with 15 stages completed, and as the cliche goes, it's all still to play for.