Durbridge back training after crash, Merckx to be at 2019 Tour start after settling differences with ASO
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The 2018 Giro d'Italia leader jerseys(Image credit: RCS Sport)
Luke Durbridge back in training after nationals crash(Image credit: Luke Durbridge)
The 2018 maglia bianca(Image credit: RCS Sport)
The 2018 maglia azzurra(Image credit: RCS Sport)
The 2018 maglia ciclamino(Image credit: RCS Sport)
The 2018 maglia rosa(Image credit: RCS Sport)
Fabian Cancellara and Eddy Merckx on the Brussels start line in 2010(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
At the end of Milan Fashion Week, the organisers of the Giro d'Italia, RCS Sport, unveiled the designs for the four leader jerseys to be used in the 2018 edition of the race at the Gessi Milano on Monday.
The maglia rosa created this year by Castelli includes fine details such as raised decals of the Giro d'Italia on the arm band, the overall winner's trophy on the upper back, and a zipper pull in the shape of the trophy in gold.
Castelli also created similar designs for the points classification winner, the maglia ciclamino, the blue maglia azzurra of best climber and white maglia bianca of best young rider.
Durbridge back in training after nationals crash
Just over a week after suffering a concussion and a broken collarbone, Luke Durbridge has returned to training. The Mitchelton-Scott rider has not been able to go out on the road but he’s been on the home trainer.
Durbridge posted a photo of himself training with the help of some nifty DIY, on Twitter on Monday.
Durbridge crashed heavily while navigating a bend during the men’s road race at the Australian national championships. He slid across the tarmac and came to a stop in a gutter at the side of the road, breaking his right collarbone and sustaining a concussion. His teammate Alex Edmondson would go on to win the race.
Durbridge has been ruled out of the remainder of the Australian summer but it appears that he is determined to get back to full fitness for the spring Classics. The team will be keen to have him back as soon as possible, particularly after new signing, and fellow Classics rider, Matteo Trentin fractured his rib in a training crash.
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Merckx to be at 2019 Tour start after settling differences with ASO
Eddy Merckx will be at the start of the 2019 Tour de France after seemingly settling his differences with race organiser the ASO. The 2019 edition of the race is due to start in Brussels and will mark the 50-year anniversary of Merckx’s first yellow jersey.
The Belgian, who grew up in Brussels, previously worked with ASO on a number of projects including the Tours of Qatar and Oman. However, he fell out with the organisation at the end of last year for a reason that has not been disclosed publicly. In November, Merckx told Het Laaste Nieuws that he would not be in Oman this year and would not make an appearance in Brussels next year, but he has walked back on that second statement.
Merckx told Le Soir that he chose to appear at the Tour, "Out of respect for the City of Brussels and, at ASO, for Christian Prudhomme, with whom I have always had a friendly relationship. The rest will be settled in private but I cannot exclude myself from an event that is partly dedicated to me, while the Tour will also celebrate the centenary of the first yellow jersey.”
This year’s Tour de France will start in the Vendée region on July 7, a week later than usual due to the World Cup.
