Matt De Neef

Melbourne

Managing Editor at The Escape Collective

Writing: @escapecycling | Author: 'Everesting' | Podcasting: @TheAlbumFiles | Blogging: https://t.co/xi71QzbJNu | Email: [email protected]

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Articles

The Herald Sun Tour is coming back for the first time since 2020

1 week ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

After an absence spanning a full six years, the Jayco Herald Sun Tour is set to return in 2026. Australia's oldest stage race didn't run in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and didn't return in 2023 due to "ongoing logistical, planning, timing, and workforce challenges". While there were plans for the race to happen in 2024 and again in 2025, those never eventuated and many suspected the race was gone for good.
Mel Hoskins' death was a 'tragic accident', her mother tells court

1 week ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

The mother of former professional cyclist Mel Hoskins has told an Adelaide court today that her daughter's death in late 2023 was a "tragic accident."Hoskins died after being struck by a car driven by her husband, former professional Rohan Dennis, outside their north Adelaide home in December 2023.
Two monumental days at the Hell of the North

1 week ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef
Double rainbows at the Tour of Flanders

2 weeks ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef
How Lorena Wiebes stacks up against the all-time greats

3 weeks ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef
Solo brilliance and an unbeatable sprint at Gent-Wevelgem

3 weeks ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef
Egan Bernal's near-death crash is now a medical case study

1 month ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

On January 24, 2022, Egan Bernal almost died. The then-25-year-old was out on a training ride with teammates in Gachancipá, Colombia, on his time trial bike, when he didn't notice that a bus in front of him had stopped to drop off passengers. He collided with the back of the bus at roughly 60 km/h and was taken to hospital with a raft of serious injuries, some of them life-threatening. In the days afterwards, Bernal revealed that doctors had given him a 95% chance of ending up a paraplegic.
7 takeaways from the 2025 women's Milan-San Remo

1 month ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

It's been a few days now since the first women's Milan-San Remo in 20 years. A few days since Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) sprinted to a commanding victory after an electrifying finale on approach to San Remo. Now that the dust has settled, let's take a look back at the race and the things that are still on our minds a few days later.
Teammate vs teammate for one pro contract: who gets it?

1 month ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

As a young road cyclist trying to make their mark on the sport, securing a contract with a professional team is a big deal. It's a ticket to racing in Europe, to getting noticed by bigger teams, to kickstarting a professional career. But what do you do in a situation where there's only one contract available, and it's between you and your teammate to see who gets it? How does the team decide who gets the nod?
Your guide to the first women's Milan-San Remo in 20 years

1 month ago | escapecollective.com | Matt De Neef

It's been several years in the making but the women's Milan-San Remo is finally back! The race was last held in the early 2000s as the Primavera Rosa - more on that in a moment - but this Saturday, March 22, the women's peloton heads to the Mediterranean coast for the first "Milano-Sanremo Donne", which finishes a couple hours before the men's race. Speaking of the men's race, you'll be able to find Dane Cash's preview on Escape shortly, but that's not what we're here for today.