The team here at Cycling Weekly live their whole existence in the world of cycling, more or less, although a few of us are guilty of running sometimes too. We really should find other hobbies. As a result, we thought we would bring you our cycling moments of the year – not bikes rides, though, but just bike-related things.
As you’ll see, the parameters were deliberately vague, to throw up all sorts of things, and that’s what we’ve brought you. From specific instances in races to heartwarming milestones.
Tour de France stage 21 – James Shrubsall, senior news and features writer
Forget Paris in the spring. Paris in July is where it’s at, and specifically this year it was 27 July that delivered the stand-out moment of my own cycling season: being in the thick of it on stage 21. Having walked up seemingly endless hills and steps to the Sacre Coeur church on the Tour’s final day, not much could have prepared me for the stunning scenes that awaited.
From the crowds thronging the foreground, divided by the cobbled parcours, to the vast Parisien panorama behind them, it was truly stunning, definitely the high point of my year in the sport.
Giro d’Italia stage 20 – Jamie Williams, video manager
Everyone loves an underdog but I don’t think that anyone had the result of stage 20 of this year’s Giro d’Italia on their bingo card. What an awesome display of tactical mastery from Visma Lease-a-Bike, Simon Yates and Wout van Aert.
For the rest of the Giro I had been rooting for Isaac del Toro and yes, he and Richard Carapaz blundered, but chapeau to Yates for capitalising and putting them in that position in the first place.
There’s a picture of Dr Sarah Ruggins, sitting on the ground with her back against the John o’ Groats signpost, her head in her hands, that gives me chills. As a teenager, Ruggins feared she may never walk again; she was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome, a rare and poorly understood condition affecting the nervous system, and spent years bed-ridden in agonising pain.
This May, however, aged 37, she broke the record for cycling the length of the UK and back – John o’ Groats to Land’s End to John O’ Groats (JOGLEJOG) – doing so in five days, 11 hours and 14 minutes. “If I could do it, other people can do it,” Ruggins told me in an interview earlier this year. Hers is a story of inspiring determination.
My son learning to ride a bike – Matt Ischt-Barnard
There are so many parenting moments to remember, all special in their own way, but given my love of bikes, watching my son learn to pedal and ride will be forever etched in my memory. I could broaden this even further by saying just watching him learn, and the smiles and happiness that he exudes when he gets something is honestly magical.
The feeling when he rides his bike is extra special to me. Throughout 2025, we have had so much fun on bikes, and I hope that stays with him as he grows up, as I’d like to ride bikes with him for as long as I can.
My cycling club’s Christmas party – Adam Becket, news editor
I have many great cycling moments from this year. Like James above, I was at the Tour de France for the final stage, and to be able to stand on the cobbles of the Champs-Élysées was magical, as was ascending Mont Ventoux and seeing the action up close.
However, my cycling moment of the year is not a professional moment, or even a work moment, but my cycling club’s Christmas party. My club, Newtown Park CC, is more than just a cycling club, it really is a community, and the Christmas party was the apogee of this. We raised thousands for charity, had a lot of fun, and reminded each other how great a part of Bristol we have all found. I can’t wait to get back to it now – the less said about how my night ended the better.
Building a bike track – Hannah Bussey
We built a bike track in our local park, driven by a simple desire to create a free riding space. Our group, comprising bike enthusiasts and parents, quickly learned that taking initiative means doing the work ourselves.
We planned, wrote risk assessments, completed outdoor leadership courses, raised funds, submitted bids, and physically built the track by digging, raking, and wackering. Kids have been at the heart of this non-hierarchical effort, which has fostered pride, belonging, and purpose among them and us.
Their involvement has cultivated a sense of responsibility for maintaining the track and the park, inspiring others to contribute. We’ve still got work to do, but we opened what we have built this summer, and I’ve never felt prouder. Watching children—from beginners to teens—support each other and share tricks has been a highlight of the community, symbolising a collective achievement beyond just the track.
The release of Breakaway Femmes – Meg Elliot, news and features writer
The release of ‘Breakaway Femmes: the Forgotten Tour de France’, the film that tells the story of the women who competed in the Tour de France for six years during the 1980s. Racing the same mountains and cobblestones as the men, these riders were forced to operate without the same sponsorships or salaries, and faced a huge backlash from the cycling establishment as they fought for their right to compete.
The women in the film wanted, above all, to race their bikes – an opportunity that was relinquished after just eight years of competition. The film is a wonderful, moving testament to their strength of will, and absolute cycling skill, while reinstating a history once lost.
Joining Cycling Weekly – Andy Carr, tech editor
I got to chase Martin Söderström and Eliot Jackson down a hill on the banks of Lake Garda, and spent the rest of the year being trusted to test, appraise and report on some of the most exceptional kit in cycling. So, yeah, pretty good decision I think.
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