Meanwhile in the peloton | Ullrich breaks collarbone after getting hit by car, Pieterse and 19-year-old talent win

May 9 – Jan Ullrich was hit by a car while out on a training ride, according to reports from HLN and other media. The 51-year-old German was near his home when he was struck and suffered a broken collarbone. He also sustained some bruises and abrasions. He was treated at the hospital, as Eurosport announced. There he was to be "in action" as an analyst, but those plans are off now.

May 9 – They’re getting younger and already winning. Aubin Sparfel stormed to victory on Friday, just as the Giro d’Italia opened, in the Tour du Finistère, with total dominance. To complete the celebration for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Bastien Tronchon finished second. Also on Friday, racing took place in the Netherlands, this time on mountain bikes. Puck Pieterse claimed the Dutch MTB Short Track title, while Rens Teunissen van Manen took the men’s title.

May 1 – Don’t look for David de la Cruz in the upcoming Giro d’Italia. The 35-year-old Spanish climber had a strong start to the season for Q36.5, with an 8th place in Tirreno-Adriatico and 2nd in the Giro dell'Abruzzo, but he won’t be continuing that form into the Giro.

“Originally, the Giro was on the schedule, but when we also received a wildcard for the Vuelta, we decided together with the team to focus on that instead. In the Giro, we’re riding for Tom Pidcock,” De la Cruz told us before the start of Eschborn–Frankfurt.