REVIEW OF THE YEAR

An Olympic year is always special and the cycling season once again delivered a year of highs and lows, from Pogi's triple to Katie Archibald's pre-Olympic trip

- Adam Becket, Tom Davidson, Tom Thewlis, James Shrubsall

JANUARY

Straight out the blocks

Brits Stevie Williams and Oscar Onley got their seasons off to flying starts with GC and stage victories at the Tour Down Under, respectively. Both results were a precursor of what was to come. Williams proved what he could do when injury-free by winning a Flèche Wallonne run-off in cold and wet conditions, and in September, the Tour of Britain. Onley, still only 22, enjoyed a breakthrough season with a top 10 on GC at the Tour de Suisse, a solid Tour de France debut and a late season flourish with second at the Tour of Guangxi.

Aero brake

The UCI updated its regulations to limit the angle brake levers could be turned inward, on the grounds the aero gain could compromise safety.

FEBRUARY

WiggleCRC staff laid off

The Wiggle, Chain Reaction Cycles saga neared its conclusion as virtually all staff were made redundant and the business acquired by Mike Ashley's Frasers Group. WiggleCRC had grown from a small store in Southampton into a multi-million-pound business with an online sports store and its own brands, including dhb and Vitus. The search for growth over 10-15 years saw multiple takeovers and the merging of the British-based Wiggle and Northern Irish Chain Reaction Cycles. Their success, fuelled primarily by cheap prices, was blamed for many of the cycling industry's ills, especially independent bike shops. Overstocking, Brexit, and lack of demand after the pandemic resulted in a pre-tax loss of £97m for the year to September 2022.

Unstoppable VDP