Cummings keeping calm in the eye of the storm

Steve Cummings before the start of stage 3 at Volta a Catalunya

Steve Cummings before the start of stage 3 at Volta a Catalunya (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Entering his 13th season as a professional, Steve Cummings is in new territory. With Tirreno-Adriatico scrapped from his programme his preferred race schedule for finding form took a serious hit. Despite climbing up the pecking order in the team, which allows such choice, he’s found himself all too often replacing teammates who are injured, sick or unavailable due to visa issues.

Philippa York

Philippa York is a long-standing Cyclingnews contributor, providing expert racing analysis. As one of the early British racers to take the plunge and relocate to France with the famed ACBB club in the 1980's, she was the inspiration for a generation of racing cyclists – and cycling fans – from the UK.

The Glaswegian gained a contract with Peugeot in 1980, making her Tour de France debut in 1983 and taking a solo win in Bagnères-de-Luchon in the Pyrenees, the mountain range which would prove a happy hunting ground throughout her Tour career. 

The following year's race would prove to be one of her finest seasons, becoming the first rider from the UK to win the polka dot jersey at the Tour, whilst also becoming Britain's highest-ever placed GC finisher with 4th spot. 

She finished runner-up at the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1986, to Pedro Delgado and Álvaro Pino respectively, and at the Giro d'Italia in 1987. Stage race victories include the Volta a Catalunya (1985), Tour of Britain (1989) and Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1990). York retired from professional cycling as reigning British champion following the collapse of Le Groupement in 1995.